Halifax’s slow-moving and stalled developments

In many municipalities, headline-making projects can be the topic of lively conversation (on and off) for years among local politicians, public servants, business boosters, media mavens and the community at large.

Some plans proceed smoothly and work begins. Other times, however, one or more wrinkles can delay such things as a proposed property development, infrastructure renewal, a hospital replacement or major roadwork.

Occasionally, projects get talked about for years, languish in the long-overdue file and then finally get built.

As well, there are proposals that simply stay that way. Witness much-discussed commuter rail in Halifax Regional Municipality.

The municipality has seen lots of construction cranes pop up during its recent building boom. But it also has had its share of projects – those in the public and private sectors – temporarily shelved, or move at a snail’s pace.

Here are 10, in no particular order.

** Demolition of the Cogswell interchange in downtown Halifax, and planned redevelopment of the area: A news report in February 2014 said “the first step in dismantling” the infrastructure “may begin later this year.” In 2016, another news item reported  demolition is set for October 2017.” Due to the financial hit city hall has taken from COVID-19, money earmarked for the Cogswell redevelopment was axed from the 2020-21 capital budget.

** Shannon Park development in Dartmouth: Public meetings about this project were held in 2015 and 2016. Demolition of vacant military housing units took place at the 33-hectare property in 2016-17. The federal government’s Canada Lands Company, which controls the site, has made a formal application for a development agreement, as required by Halifax Regional Municipality. Last December, prior to the arrival of the coronavirus, a Canada Lands spokesperson told HalifaxToday.ca site preparation was anticipated in 2021.

** Bayers Road widening in Halifax: Years in the making, the controversial widening of a major commuter route elicited strong opinions pretty much from the get-go. In 2011, then-Mayor Peter Kelly posted a letter on the municipality’s website explaining his opposition to the roadwork. The project was approved in principle in 2018. City hall bought properties on the street it would need to demolish, and last year four houses along Bayers Road were torn down to make way for bus-only lanes and a bikeway, CBC News reported. The municipality still has to deal with the owners of the Halifax Shopping Centre regarding the Bayers Road entryway to the mall.

** New public library for Bedford: In 2018, the area’s councillor told a reporter he’s been hearing from residents for years about the need for a larger library to replace the one situated in leased commercial space on Dartmouth Road. Community consultations began in September 2018. A new site for Bedford’s next library has been identified by Halifax council as a capital funding project over the next decade, a news report said almost two years ago.

** Macdonald Bridge bicycle ramp in Halifax: This project has been discussed by cycling advocates and city hall officials since around 1999, when a bike lane was installed as part of upgrades made to the harbour bridge. Ramp users have complained about the design of the paved Barrington Street entry and exit slope, and councillors in 2017 voted to improve the situation with a $7.3-million, multi-year cycling upgrade. Much of that was to be spent on a contentious “flyover” ramp on the Halifax side of the span, connecting to Gottingen and North streets. Construction was to start this year. Last year, in an email obtained by NEWS 95.7, the municipality’s chief administrative officer suggested the expensive piece of infrastructure could be delayed several years due to
budget considerations.

** Proposed multi-use stadium: City hall is pledging $20 million, with conditions, to the business group promoting a proposed sports-and- entertainment venue that would be home to a planned Canadian Football League franchise. A site at Shannon Park identified by the group has been rejected by the municipality; others are to be researched. A potential Halifax-area stadium had been considered for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. But that proposal popped in 2007 after the provincial and municipal governments yanked their support for the costly bid for the event. In April, a founding partner of the football business group, (and its spokesperson), left for an executive position with the Ottawa Senators hockey club.

** Replacement of Victoria General, Centennial and Dickson hospital-complex buildings in Halifax: After many years of weak attempts by the provincial government of the day to raze these aging structures and build new ones, Nova Scotia’s Liberals intend to join forces with a private partner on a multi-year replacement plan. Demolition is to start in 2022, news reports have said. Successive governments in Nova Scotia declined to act decisively, although now it appears new buildings are possible. Unless, of course, results of the next provincial election – in 2021, or 2022 at the latest – prompt a change of plans.
 
** New provincial art gallery proposed for Halifax’s waterfront: More than two years ago, the provincial government announced the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia will be moved to a “cultural hub” by Halifax Harbour from its home on Hollis Street. The planned project is to cost $130 million, with $68 million coming from the province, $30 million expected from Ottawa, $25 million collected from the gallery’s fundraising campaign and $7 million contributed by the municipality. Senior management at the art gallery wants a design finished by the spring of 2021. If all goes well, the new building would open late in the fall of 2024, local media reported in March.

** Burnside bike and pedestrian trail in Dartmouth: If and when an active-transportation trail is built next to the provincial government’s planned Hwy. 107 extension, CBC News reported in 2017, it’ll be the first of its kind in the province. Cycling advocates were encouraged by the idea. Last summer, it was revealed the cost of such a trail could be as high as $8 million, “which is $7 million more than originally estimated back in 2011” when the province initially considered its highway project, Coun. Sam Austin (Dartmouth Centre) said in a council update for his constituents. Halifax council decided to shelve the bicycle and
walking trail for the time being.

** Planned mixed-use development at Windsor and Young streets in Halifax: The vacant site is a former military property that was declared surplus in 2003, according to the municipality. About three years before that, Ottawa hoped to build a halfway house there for offenders but a community uproar ended the proposal relatively quickly. A public information meeting about the now-private sector development – one low-rise commercial structure and two residential towers – was held in 2015. A public hearing on amendments to municipal planning and land-use rules took place in 2017. City hall staff in 2018 recommended Halifax regional council approve the development agreement covering the property.

Michael Lightstone is a freelance reporter living in Dartmouth