Halifax's major construction has almost tripled in value over a decade

Anyone who has walked through downtown Halifax in recent years has heard the drilling and hammering of construction crews, and watched as giant cranes help build storey after storey.

Now a CBC News analysis of a decade worth ofdevelopment permitsconfirmsthe Halifax core isin the midst of a building boom.

On the peninsula alone, the estimated value of those hotel, condominium and office tower projects, adjusted for inflation, almost tripled between 2006 and 2015.

And if thelast three and a half months are any indication, 2016 is on the way to surpassing last year.

"The intensity of development in the downtown was something that we didn't have a lot of experience with," Halifax'schief planner, Bob Bjerke, told CBC News.

• Want a larger view?Check out our interactive map here.

'A sustained trend'

The CBC News analysis ofbuilding permitsworth at least$5 millionshows a dramatic spike in construction on peninsulaHalifax starting in 2012.

Between 2011 and 2012, the total valueof permits jumped from $40 million to $187 million.

That sudden escalationwas driven by several large projects: the Nova Centre; the new Halifax Central Library;the new Hampton Inn;a residence at Dalhousie University; renovations of the Halifax Shopping Centre,Fenwick Tower and the TD Centre;plus construction of several large condo buildings.

There have been dips since the bumper year of 2012, but values areup overall, part of whatBjerke calls "a sustained trend."

The actual cost of projects is likely much higher than what's reflected in building permit estimates.Many costs aren't included.

• Halifax-Dartmouth Centre Plan draft expected by December 2016

'Cultural shift' drives growth

One of the reasons behind the growth is a "cultural shift," accordingtoJill Grant, aDalhousie University planning professor who hasstudied Halifax's changing demographics in the downtown and suburbs.

More young,single people, along with retirees with no children left in the household,are movingdowntown, she said.

"That's driving downtown growth," Grant said."Developers are taking advantage of a market that started in the larger cities earlier."

Halifax's Killam Properties is riding that change by constructingtwo large residential apartment buildings in downtown, marketing director Jeremy Jackson said.

'Huge boost' to developers' confidence

One on Barrington Street has small almost "micro" units, perhaps well-suited to the young, childless professional. Thesecond iscloser to the Brewery Market andhasa bit more space, perhaps bettertailored for empty nesters and seniors, he said.

"There is a shift in traditional thinking about apartment living," Jackson said.

That's matched by Halifax being the largest centre in Atlantic Canada, with a small but steady influx of people, he said. Jackson said the $25 billion shipbuilding contract in 2011 helped kickoff the region's building boom in 2012.

"That was a huge boost to the general kind of confidence level for developers around Halifax," Jackson said.

• Want a larger view?Check out our interactive map here.

'Growing pains'

Bjerke admits there have been "growing pains" related to the upsurge, including complaints aboutsidewalks shut down for months, historic buildings knocked down for newer homes, and development approvals critics say are out of touch with community needs.

"It's been a shift for people," Bjerke said."Halifax looking to the future is a bit different than what Halifax was looking into the past, and that shift has happened in quite a quick way."

The increase is less dramatic in the broader municipality, but follows the same general trend.

$160M in permits for Larry Uteck

Areasoutside the corethat haveseen dramatic growth includeBayers Lake andDartmouth Crossing. And an estimated $160 million in building permits were issued for Bedford'sLarryUteck Boulevardover a decade.

PeninsulaHalifax,with its mix of commercial and residential and history,is a bit more delicate.

"We're a little bit in danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water," Grant said.

'Changing very fast'

Municipalplanners haveencouraged downtown development, but "I don't think they expected to see as much as quickly as it's coming," Grant said.

The public,unable to keep up,is locked out of many discussions, Grant said,as most developmentsarediscussed publicly onlyifthey want rule exemptions.

"Some parts of the city are changing very fast right now and we won't recognize them in a few years," she said.

Bjerke said his team istrying to find that balance.

"We want to find that sweet spot where we've got a good level of activity," Bjerke said.

"At the same time, not completely rewrite what we already have because Halifax has fantastic bones We don't want to create something that doesn't look and feel like Halifax."

Suburban to urban

Halifax Regional Municipality is developing a Centre Plan to govern developmentand other community design topicsinHalifax and Dartmouth over the next 15 years. That may include a total revamp of bylaws to address thecontinually changing landscape.

Bjerke is in charge of the planning department, which has received a $350,000 budget increase to hire a dozen new staff over the next two years. He said staff and the region at large were "a little behind" as development had previously been"static" for years.

"The bylaws, the regulations, the approaches and even the experience for the staff and the developers, frankly had been at that point in time much more suburban," Bjerke said.

"An urban environment is quite different."