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EsperantoFairmount Ridge
Fairmount Ridge (once known as The Butler Lands) is a 39 acre development that now includes Drillio Court, Caitland Court, Peace Court, White Glove Terrace and Milsom Street.
On this page, I will be posting information about provincial aspects of the Fairmount Ridge residential development. Development is primarily a municipal issue. If you have any comments or questions on the role of Halifax Regional Municipality, I encourage you to call HRM Councillor Linda Mosher (phone 477-8618; e-mail mosherl@halifax.ca).
(Click for larger) Fairmount Ridge is bounded roughly by Northwest Arm Drive and HRM land to the west, the railway and Crown Drive to the south, Downs Avenue to the north, and Brook Street/Samuel Terrace to the east (see map with Fairmount Ridge in yellow).
The Issue In Summary
The property in what is now the Fairmount area was for many years owned by the Butler family. The Butlers developed the Fairmount subdivision.
On the southern part of the property, where development is now taking place, the Butlers permitted indiscriminate dumping over the course of some 40 years.
Because no records were kept, there was no way of knowing what had been dumped, or where. It was an attractive property, and various proposals were made over the years, but none was able to provide a legal and cost-effective environmental remediation. The "Butler lands" therefore remained undeveloped.
In late 2001, a developer came forward with a new proposal. This proposal included, among other things, removing suspect soil and placing it in a "containment cell" on the southern part of the property. I was told that "containment cell" technology was hardly new - there are other cells scattered around the city - but it was the first time that there would be a stand-alone containment cell in a residential setting.
The Nova Scotia Department of Environment & Labour (NSDEL) was required to approve the plan, and they did. I, as a provincial representative, do not normally become involved in development issues, which are within municipal jurisdiction. However, the involvement of the provincial department piqued my interest, and I began to monitor progress of the development. I also informed existing residents of what was going on, since they had no other source of information.
Work progressed, then stopped. The developer made a new proposal, this time eliminating the containment cell. The developer's position was that site contamination, as actually measured, was less than expected, and therefore the containment cell was unnecessary. NSDEL did not accept the new proposal. The developer took NSDEL to court (I sat in on the proceedings).
The court ruled that NSDEL was within its rights. You can read the full text of the judge's decision here:
http://www.canlii.org/ns/cas/nssc/2004/2004nssc126.html.
Work soon recommenced, with the blessing of NSDEL, and in the end, the developer's new plan did not include a containment cell.