GOFFS: A proposed buffer zone restricting future development surrounding the Halifax Stanfield International Airport isn’t getting a smooth ride from residents and landowners.
At a public meeting Feb. 17 at the Goffs Fire Hall, close to 100 people in attendance sent a message they weren’t pleased the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), on behalf of the Halifax International Airport Authority, was looking at the prospect of instituting a Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) 30 contour.
In a municipal staff report presented at HRM regional council recently, it explained the NEF contour would put a restriction on new development where the noise level is expected to produce sporadic to repeated individual complaints and where group action is possible.
Richard Harvey, a senior planner with HRM, told the crowd there are four different set of NEF's that could be imposed. The one being proposed for the airport is the third lowest, but would restrict the construction of schools, daycares, nursing homes and hospitals within the restricted zones. The diagram showing the NEF boundaries does take into account the possibility of a third runway for the airport. Instead, a runway would be 20 years down the road, if they need to build it.
“It (the NEF) doesn’t have any impact on developments that already exists,” Harvey said. “We’re trying to get ahead of a potential problem that has been a huge issue at other airports.”
That huge problem saw development creep up on airports in Vancouver and Montreal, which at one time appeared to be on the edge of town, similar to Halifax’s situation.
If the proposal gets the green light from regional council, there would be no future development allowed in the restricted area. That area encompasses land from Oakfield to Enfield, Oldham and Goffs.
Michael Healy, vice-president of Infrastructure and Technology for the Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA), said the community-based company rents the airport from Transport Canada. He addressed concerns raised by those in the crowd and added how the contour would benefit the airport.
“It’s a model to protect for the future of the airport,” Healy said.
He explained although the contour design looks like an airplane, it just happened that way. The computer models which make up the diagram took in a number of factors, including the number of planes, the noise they make and the frequency of flights, he said.
Andrew Bone, another senior planner with HRM, said the noise contour will mainly focus on not allowing further residential subdivisions within the area.
“If you’re existing home lot can’t be further subdivided, this won’t have an impact on you,” Bone said. “If the lot can be subdivided, it could impact you.”
Paul Pettipas, CEO of the Nova Scotia Homebuilders Association and the developer of Fall River Village, feels HRM staff have already made up their mind that the proposal will go forward. However, councillors Steve Streatch (District 1 Eastern Shore-Musquodoboit Valley) and Barry Dalrymple (District 2 Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank), both of whom were at the meeting, have said they haven’t made a decision.
“The fact of the matter to me is its’ quite apparent HRM staff wants to see this happen,” Pettipas said. “I have no problem with the airport expanding, but pay, pay for your land. I grew up with nothing, but I was taught you don’t get things for free in this world, you don’t take it from people who can’t afford it, you don’t take it from people who could afford it. Just pay for the land, make the expansion and be a good neighbour.”
Bone explained there are two prime areas within the contour that could be subdivided, a parcel of land on Frenchman’s Road and Highway 2 and some larger lands on Oldham Road to Old Guysburough Road.
Harvey stressed to the crowd that the public meeting was just the beginning of the process.
“It’s very important for us to get feedback,” he said. “No decisions on this are made tonight. Those decisions come at a later time. Everyone is here to listen and get feedback.”
When public input time came at the meeting, there were many residents willing to speak up with their concerns and questions for Harvey and Healy.
One woman explained that her dishes rattle and even her radio flickers so that she actually hears the air traffic controllers guiding in the planes safely.
“It’s very annoying,” the woman added.
The airport’s proposal did gain a level of support from Fred Morley, with the Greater Halifax Partnership, who said the airport is vital, employing 12,000 people.
“It’s pretty important to look ahead and maximize its benefit,” Morley said.
Pettipas said he was lucky to have sold all the land he owned in the area which will be impacted.
“I really don’t trust what’s happening here, you’ve got a zone here, what if a new plane comes out and they need another 5,000 feet or another two or three kilometres?” he questioned. “We’ve got HRM cutting through backyards. We have a lady who says she has a piece of land and half of it she can develop and half she can’t. To me that’s just poor planning, poor organization. Hopefully, by the final meeting, we’ll all get our act together.”
He feels a compromise that will please everyone is possible, but the airport has to respect those who live around it.
“I think there can be a compromise, but it has to be based on the airport respecting their neighbours,” he said emphatically. “They can’t act like the big thug in the neighbourhood and think ‘I’m going to do what I want to do’. They’ve got neighbours and have to respect that the neighbours have rights too. If they want a piece of land, they should buy it.”
Harvey said staff that made the presentation heard the message from residents loud and clear.
“I think we heard from a lot of people that there were concerns about an absolute prohibition on certain forms of development,” he said. “That’s something we’re going to have to look at as we move forward and undertake a full staff review.”
Streatch said the idea of restrictions placed on future development doesn’t sit well with him.
“This is a dicey situation,” Streatch told the crowd. “As a resident of Guysburough Road, I don’t like this. No decision has been made and I have no desire to see it happen.
“I believe if we work together there will be a compromise. It’s incumbent upon the airport to not be insulated, but be open to the public. I will not idly stand by as our residents’ rights are compromised.”
While many believed it was a done deal, Dalrymple said it’s far from that.
“This is democracy as it's supposed to work,” he said. “The airport has an idea and has brought it to council. We’ve started the democratic process and the very first step was to go out and advise the people affected and hear their thoughts, which is exactly what we did. This meeting was a first step only and this is far from a done deal.”
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com