On Tuesday, January 10, the Barrington Street Historic District Steering Committee took the next steps towards having HRM designate Barrington Street its first historic district.

Russ Jarvis, chair of the committee, presented the completed revitalization plan to HRM council alongside Tom Creighton, chairman of the Heritage Advisory Council. As expected, following the discussion period the plan was referred to HRM staff for review. It is likely to be returned to council near the end of March whereupon council will set a date for a public hearing.

You can help make this plan a reality. Councillors from across HRM need to know they have the support of their constituents. To demonstrate your support for this plan, please contact your HRM Councillor.

Click here to find your area Councillor or visit our mail page to contact City Council electronically.

Barrington Street Historic District Steering Committee

For the past year, a stakeholder committee has been working with HRM planning staff to preserve the heritage character and to promote the commercial revitalization of Barrington Street, through the establishment of a Historic District. The District would be comprised of the five blocks of Barrington Street between Duke Street and Bishop Street.

In mid-January, the Barrington Street Heritage District Steering Committee met with the area's business and property owners to present a draft planning framework. Given their feedback, the committee continued to work, ironing out details of the final plan, and forming 4 specialized subcommittees. 

Communications - developing a communications strategy and marketing plan.

Design - creating new design and demolition guidelines.

Incentives - working towards new financial incentives.

Streetscape - dealing with public infrastructure and transit improvements.

The Committee has prepared a detailed draft plan and it will complete the final plan in November. Two public meetings have already been held to gather input and more will be organized in late January to review the final document. An open dialogue is encouraged. To familiarize yourself with the standards and incentives being suggested, we invite you to read the Property and Business Owner's Guide. Send your feedback to Paul MacKinnon paul@downtownhalifax.ns.ca.

The final document has been presented to HRM council and is currently being reviewed by HRM Staff. A date for a public meeting to discuss the final plan is likely to be set by the end of March.

Barrington Street Heritage District

The Barrington Street Historic District was created to protect all heritage properties in the Barrington Street area. The District extends from Duke to Bishop Street and includes all buildings and public spaces fronting on Barrington. The area's 26 registered heritage properties and 15 old commercial buildings span a period of more than 250 years creating a heritage ambience that is unique to this district. Civic buildings, churches, and open spaces frame the district on the north and south, and hearken back to the earliest days of Barrington Street's evolution as the city's main street.

Following on a series of studies that documented the heritage resources and options for the Barrington Street area, Ekistics Planning and Design was asked to recommend the best tool for preserving the cultural heritage of Barrington Street as part of downtown revitalization efforts. The following document is a 110 page final report submitted by Ekistics Planning and Design.

Download the final report (PDF)