HRM surplus properties set aside for non-profit affordable housing
HALIFAX, N.S. — They are bits and pieces of land scattered around the municipality that could be housing.
Affordable housing.
At Halifax Regional Council on Tuesday, staff presented a list of surplus properties that, with council’s blessing, would be offered up for sale to non-profits to build affordable housing.
There were seven on the list, but councillors considered removing two.
Coun. David Hendsbee (Preston – Chezzetcook – Eastern Shore) wanted to remove a 21,000-square-foot piece of land on Chamberlain Drive in Westphal. He said abutting property owners should have first right of offer and that he has talked to a neighbour who has expressed interest in purchasing it.
It’s dangerous to go down that road, said Coun. Shawn Cleary (Halifax West Armdale), because with big properties, they’d be obligated to ask the neighbours if they want to buy it. He said it didn’t make sense that councillors told staff to put forward properties to make available for affordable housing and now they want to take them off.
Council voted in favour of Hendsbee’s request, although the property can go back on the list after more information is provided by staff.
A squirrel couldn’t get through it
A piece of parkland in Upper Tantallon just wouldn’t be a good idea for affordable housing, argued Coun. Pam Lovelace (Hammonds Plains – St. Margarets).
A 40,144-square-foot property at 21 Fox Hollow Drive abuts a well-used trail, she said.
While the residents there appreciate the need for affordable housing, Lovelace said “quite frankly, affordable housing and transit are hand in hand. It’s extremely difficult to have affordable housing in a rural area without access to piped sewer, piped water and transit.”
She said people need a car to get around anywhere there. It’s not NIMBY-ism, she said, it’s keeping important parkland.
Calling that property parkland is generous, said Coun. Shawn Cleary (Halifax West Armdale).
He said the parkland is densely forested and “I think a squirrel would have a hard time accessing the trail let alone a person.”
He said affordable housing belongs everywhere, in every district of HRM and there are lots of ways to do affordable housing in all situations.
“I think this is ridiculous that we’d remove this from the list, given that it’s not parkland in any traditional sense,” he said.
The vote on this property ended in a tie, meaning it failed.
The other properties were approved along with an intergovernmental transfer. The HRM is handing over the Correctional Center Ball Field in Lower Sackville, which has been used as a designated encampment site, to the province.
It was pegged for the site of a tiny home village announced earlier this year.
Next steps
Now that these surplus properties are designated as affordable housing surplus, HRM staff will reach out to non-profit groups to see if there are any viable projects with these properties.
The parcels of land that were designated surplus and for affordable housing purposes are on these HRM streets:
- Laurelcrest Drive, Eastern Passage
- Hillside Ave., Sackville
- Bayers Road, Halifax
- Main Ave., Halifax
- Theakston Avenue, Halifax
- Fox Hollow Drive, Upper Tantallon
