Media Release
Monday, 16 July, 2018
Schmidtville Heritage Conservation District Comes to Final Public Hearing at HRM Council
Tomorrow evening, July 17, at City Hall Council Chamber, the final public hearing for the Schmidtville Heritage Conservation District will take place.
“It’s been a long, long time coming,” says Friends of Schmidtville spokesperson Larry Haiven, professor emeritus at Saint Mary’s University, “We made our initial application in 2009. But we’re very glad it’s almost over.
After three years of public consultations and planning, the designation, when it comes, will protect the historic neighbourhood and its unique architectural features. Most houses are over 100 years old, some standing for over 150 years.
Friends of Schmidtville, a nonprofit society, was formed in 2008 and is the force behind the project “An active, committed group of neighbours has been a key element of the success of Schmidtville and is essential in other projects across the City as well,” says Haiven. Schmidtville won the great neighbourhood award for 2018 from the Cdn Institute of Planners.
Says Haiven, “Schmidtville has become a magnet attraction for Halifax, so we’re kind of proud. With its high density and broad mix of incomes (the median annual income is $25,349), this is the almost nearly perfect neighbourhood. Preserving older neighbourhoods is the way to go.”
Attached are some of the remarks that Haiven will make at tomorrow evening’s Council meeting. Other speakers from Friends of Schmidtville are local developer and historian Lyndon Watkins, and William Breckenridge and Barb Webber.
For more information, contact Larry Haiven, larry.haiven@smu.ca
