Last updated: June 1, 2026

Overview

The Regional Plan Review and Road to Economic Prosperity for African Nova Scotian Communities identified the need for additional serviced lands to accommodate population growth. With provincial funding support, the municipality undertook the Future Service Communities (FSC) Study. The FSC Study is a series of technical studies undertaken to inform decisions about potential serviced development in four study areas.

The four study areas are:

  • Lands to the west of Sandy Lake in Bedford;
  • Highway 102 West Corridor lands in Halifax;
  • Lands southeast of Morris Lake in Dartmouth and Cole Harbour; and
  • Lands located south of Highway 7 and west of Ross Road in Westphal (Westphal Urban Reserve Lands).

All four FSC study areas areas have been identified as Special Planning Areas (SPA) by the Province.

For additional information on the Future Service Communities Study, please visit the project webpage at:

https://engagehalifax.ca/futureservicecommunities

Westphal Urban Reserve Lands

The Westphal Urban Reserve Lands are one of the four areas being studied in the Future Service Communities (FSC) Study. The FSC Study for the Westphal lands is still in progress.

These lands became a Special Planning Area on August 6, 2024. The area is approximately 450 hectares (1000 acres) in size. It is located south of Highway 7 and west of Ross Road in Westphal. Different people and groups own parts of this land.

Special Considerations:

  • Allowing development of the lands owned by Akoma Holdings Inc. was identified as a priority by the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity Action Plan.
  • The site of the former Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children, which was recently added to the Registry of Heritage Property for the Halifax Regional Municipality, is located within the study area.
Black and white map showing the Westphal Urban Reserve Lands.

Map of the Westphal Urban Reserve Lands Special Planning Area.

Akoma Holdings Incorporated (Akoma)

Request - PLANAPP-2025-03122

Application by Zzap Consulting Inc. (zzap), on behalf of Akoma Holdings Incorporated (Akoma), to remove lot and building design requirements from the Mixed Opportunity District (MOD) Zone in the Cole Harbour/Westphal Land Use By-law.


Site Context

The MOD Zone only applies to the lands located at PID 40150567. These lands are located south of Highway 7 within the Cole Harbour/Westphal Plan Area and Westphal Special Planning Area (SPA). The proposal applies to approximately 28 hectares of the 120 hectare site, as shown below.

Figure 1: Aerial image of the MOD (Mixed Opportunity District) Zone at 28 Paris Lane (PID 40150567), south of Highway 7, Westphal.

Figure 1: Aerial image of the MOD (Mixed Opportunity District) Zone at 28 Paris Lane (PID 40150567), south of Highway 7, Westphal.

Figure 2: MOD Zone and Sub Areas of MOD (Mixed Opportunity District) Zone

Figure 2: MOD Zone and Sub Areas of MOD (Mixed Opportunity District) Zone

Proposal

The major aspects of the proposal are as follows:

  • Remove Section 15A.2.1 (MOD Zone General Requirements) regarding requirements for more than one main building on a lot;
  • Remove the minimum lot area, minimum lot frontage, and all yard requirements from Section 15A.3.1;
  • Change the minimum separation distance between dwellings in Section 15A.3.1 to a minimum of what is permitted under the National Building Code;
  • Remove building design requirements from the MOD Zone, including:
    • Section 15A.3.2 (d), (e), and (f)
    • Section 15A.3.3 (d), (e), and (f)
    • Section 15A.4.3 (c), (d), and (e)

The Mode Zone regulations can be found under the Cole Harbour/Westphal Plan Area Land Use By-law.

Digital copies of the documents submitted for evaluation can be found under the "Documents" tab near the top of this webpage.


Process

The MOD Zone only applies to the lands at PID 4015056. These lands are located within a provincially designated Special Planning Area (SPA). Once finalized, the draft amendments will be sent to the Nova Scotia Executive Panel on Housing in the Halifax Regional Municipality for review. If the Panel supports the amendments, it will recommend approval to the Minister of Housing, who will then approve or deny the application.


Status

Currently this application is at the team review stage of the process where the request is reviewed by internal municipal staff as well as external agencies.


Documents Submitted for Evaluation

The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by HRM staff to properly evaluate the application. Digital copies of the documents are available under the "Documents" tab near the top of this page. The documents are also available for review at the Planning & Development office at 5251 Duke Street, Halifax, Suite 300.