The top potential development lots in Halifax

The demand for housing in Halifax is booming. Many housing developments are proposed, approved, as well as under construction.

But even with the city filled with cranes, some lots remain prime areas for housing that are empty, quiet and underutilized, if used at all.

Here are some of the top potential development lots in Halifax.

Bloomfield Centre

Seeing one of Halifax's largest abandoned buildings on a daily basis must be depressing for those who work in the North End. The site has been vacant since 2014, with no proposed design approved yet. The zoning laws designate this area as Centre 2, with a maximum height is about 27 storeys.

Windsor and Young

A once proposed plan to construct three apartment buildings on this lot has fallen silent, leaving a busy Halifax intersection with a large and very overgrown pit of grass. The zoning laws designate this lot Centre 2 with a maximum height of about 27 storeys.

Former Saint Patrick's High School

The former St. Pat's High School site has been a large grass rectangle since 2015. In 2020, the lot was sold to the BANC group. Booming developments like the new QEII and Parkland at the Common surround it. The zoning laws designate this lot Centre 2 with a maximum height of about 27 storeys.

2854 Robie St.

Halifax's biggest gravel pit is used for company vehicle storage. Given that the city's biggest current development project, Richmond Yards, is going up just one block over, this lot could have the largest potential. However, the zoning laws designate this lot a Comprehensive Development District but forbids apartment buildings with its density requirement.  

5846 South St.

Wellington Street sits along Gorsebrook Park, which already contains an apartment complex under construction called The Wellington. Behind it, you'll find a large gravel pit with paid parking. Given the construction around it, the site brings back memories of the paid parking gravel pit around Spring Garden before The Margaretta went on top. The zoning laws designate this lot a Higher Order Residential 1, with a maximum height of only six storeys.

6321 Quinpool Rd.

There is a smaller second empty parcel of land on Quinpool Road that has also been empty for years. The lot formerly belonged to Esso but now is waiting for somebody to capitalize on its prime real estate. The zoning laws designate this lot Centre 2 with a maximum height of about 27 storeys.​

St. Patrick's-Alexandra 

Any site that involves heritage elements that locals have fond memories of is bound for years of back and forth legal arguments between the private developer and the public council. But with the current laws, there will not be high rises constructed here. The zoning laws designate this lot as a Higher-Order Residential 1 with a maximum height of only four storeys.​

860 Young Ave.

Down in the deep south of the Halifax peninsula lies a street of single-detached homes. One lot has been a pit of overgrown grass for years. Although its proximity to Saint Mary's makes it an ideal location for students, they shouldn't be hoping for anything to be built here anytime soon. The zoning laws designate this lot as Established Residential 1, which means constructing an apartment building is forbidden. 

Former Christian Science Church

A few years ago, the site of the former triangular-shaped Christian Science Church building fell. Since then, nobody seems to know what lies ahead of this prime housing area for Saint Mary's students. The zoning laws designate this lot a Higher Order Residential 1, with the maximum height being about eight storeys.