Westville mayor says school redevelopment could be ‘game changer’ for town

The town of Westville, Nova Scotia, is on the brink of a major transformation thanks to the redevelopment of the Highland Consolidated Middle School. Mayor Lennie White is optimistic that this project will kickstart a development boom in the community, which has seen little growth in the past three decades.

The school, which closed its doors in 2014, will be sold to the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council for a mere $1. The council plans to convert the building into 64 apartments of varying sizes, ranging from studios to three bedrooms. This move comes in response to the increasing demand for rental units in Westville, where the existing 140 apartments are already at full capacity.

Mayor White believes that this redevelopment project will have a significant impact on the town, attracting new residents and businesses. The school, built in the 1960s, had been sitting empty for a decade, but engineering assessments have shown that the building is structurally sound. The Co-op Council plans to incorporate both market-rate and affordable rents in the new apartments, along with a 100-seat daycare facility.

In addition to providing much-needed housing, the $14 million project will feature a green roof for tenants to grow vegetables, social enterprises within commercial spaces, and a solar farm. The council is seeking financial support from the province and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to help cover the costs of the development.

The town still has six hectares of land adjacent to the school, which has been rezoned to expedite future developments. Mayor White has already received inquiries from developers interested in building residential projects on the site. He is also hopeful that the province’s plans for a new long-term care facility in Westville will come to fruition on this land.

With the school renovation set to begin in the coming months and expected to take two years to complete, Westville is on the cusp of a new chapter in its history. Mayor White envisions a thriving community with a mix of residential, commercial, and social spaces that will breathe new life into the town. The redevelopment of the school is just the beginning of what promises to be a bright future for Westville.