Bedford, N.S., could get green light for massive housing project

A new development plan seeks to create hundreds of dwelling units in the Bedford Common area in Nova Scotia.

“It’ll be interesting. I’ve long said that some residential development in this area made sense,” says Bedford-Wentworth councillor Tim Outhit.

The development calls for 27 multi-unit buildings ranging from six-to-33 stories, 21 townhomes and cluster homes for a total of 6,216 dwelling units.

“There’s no question we need housing but I think where we sometimes differ a little bit from the province, and some developers is that we try to do complete streets, complete communities,” Outhit says.

With a conservative estimate of two people per dwelling, the Bedford Common proposal would make the area the seventh largest community in the province, just behind Truro.

“In general, I think any compact development at this point is appreciated than more sprawled housing development to solve our housing crisis,” says Ashan Habib, a transportation professor at Dalhousie University.

A proposed development like the one at Bedford Common needs a lot of supportive infrastructure. The Burnside Connecter, which is still under construction, will go a long way towards alleviating some of the traffic congestion.

Professor Habib says the new highway will only be one means of getting people to and from downtown Halifax.

“You’ll need ferry, multiple ferries at some point. (You) will need bus, rapid transit connecting these communities,” he says.

The Bedford Common development isn't imminent as councillor Outhit says it could take a decade or more to become a reality.

“This is just the beginning and there will be lots of iterations of this and yes, we are going to have to be concerned about the amenities and infrastructure required to facilitate this,” he says,

The developer's proposal will be discussed for the first time at city council on Tuesday night. 

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.