A chance to have your say on a topic that has been a point of contention in Dartmouth for years.
There will be a public hearing at City Hall, Tuesday evening, to talk about infilling at Dartmouth Cove.
Councillor Sam Austin tells our newsroom we will see what comes out it.
“I mean, Council, we always have to take in all the evidence we get,” says Austin. “We’ve heard from staff. We’ve heard from some members of the public and some of the property owners in Dartmouth Cove. There’s a lot of competing interests.”
He says members of the public are “overwhelmingly” in support of regulating infill and that part of the harbour, and a lot of that likely is contributed to the lack of an overall plan for the area.
“It’s one of the few areas where you can be on the water side of the tracks. I think that gives this whole issue more resonance that might normally be the case because the Dartmouth waterfront is really a non-tapped potential.”
Council voted down a proposal from city staff last month that would defer creating a by-law on infilling in Dartmouth Cove until after the Dartmouth revitalization plan is complete.
Instead, they voted for a first reading that would consider proposed amendments that would restrict water lot development as well as infilling; and a public hearing.
Meanwhile, in a post on social media, MP Darren Fisher says infilling in Dartmouth Cove is the issue he has heard about more than any other.
“Dartmouth Cove is where people walk the trail, where years of investment have brought marine life back, and where vital work in ocean technology and maritime defence happens every single day. It’s a place of community, of nature, and of innovation—and it deserves to be protected.”
A local construction company wants to dump pyritic slate into the ocean space but is waiting on federal approval.
Transport Canada gave the green light but rescinded it last June.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has not yet given the thumbs up.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Argyle Street.
