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Neighbourhood opposition is mounting against Steele Auto Group’s plans to expand its Colonial Honda parking lot by demolishing dozens of residential properties in Halifax’s north end.
The Facebook group Homes Not Hondas is conducting a social media campaign and heading door-to-door to get the word out about the project, though it remains to be seen if that rallying will have any impact on Steele’s plans.
As The Coast previously reported, Rob Steele has been quietly buying up properties around his new Colonial Honda dealership for the last several months. Representatives from Steele Auto Group confirm that demolition permits for 19 residential properties have recently been issued for what appears to be an expanded parking lot.
“In our business we are challenged by space requirement to display vehicles and to provide parking for customer services,” writes Steele president and COO Dave MacRitchie in an email.
“We’ve considered many options in terms of expansion so as to relieve space constraints. We’ve invested significantly in the business and the properties to expand our parking and display area to better serve our customers, with designs and green buffers that are mindful of the residential component of our neighbourhood.”
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“The main reason, I think, is they need more space for cars,” says Mark Butler, director with the Ecology Action Centre. The EAC recently moved back into the organization’s renovated headquarters on Fern and May Streets, which sits across the street from where Honda’s expanded parking lot will soon stretch.
“It’s not really a healthy thing for a neighbourhood that already feels encroached upon,” Butler says. “It’s also against what we thought was a stated goal of this city, to increase the density on the peninsula.”
One structure that won’t be demolished is the property on the corner of Robie and North Streets. The current home of the Woodbury Animal Hospital was purchased by Steele’s Dynamic Properties, but MacRitchie says no changes are planned for that piece of real estate.
The Steele COO acknowledges some of the neighbours aren’t happy about what his company is planning.
“I understand that some residents have expressed a reluctance to change,” he says. “Our plan is before HRM and we are waiting [on HRM’s] feedback prior to meeting with any additional residents.”
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Chelsi Ferguson is one of those people with a “reluctance to change,” as MacRitchie puts it. She lives in one of the colourful row of May Street houses that didn’t sell to Steele. Ferguson bought the house with her partner two years ago as an affordable home on the peninsula to raise their two children, aged one and six.
“We had a really big vision for our future in that neighbourhod,” Ferguson says. “This is not at all what we pictured happening.”
Aesthetics aside, the expanded parking lot will undoubtably have an impact on property values for those who didn’t sell
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“Who’s going to want to live in a car dealership?” asks Ferguson.
Unpopular as it might be, however, Steele Auto Group appear to be perfectly within its rights to tear down the neighbouring structures. The properties are zoned C-2, which allows the car dealership to demolish the houses without any public consultation.
Here’s an explanation for what’s happening from Halifax South Downtown councillor Waye Mason:
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But some Homes Not Hondas members are hoping community pressure will be enough to halt Steele’s wrecking ball.
“Only vigorous community opposition will prevent this project from going forward,” the group writes in a news release. “The car lot is inconsistent with the intention of the Centre Plan to create attractive, walkable streets with high quality design in the urban core.”
The group is recommending using social media to voice concern directly to Honda and Steele, emailing city officials and heading out for some good old-fashioned neighbourhood door-knocking to get the word out.
“All of the north end are coming together to say this is not the vision we have,” says Ferguson. “This is the most inappropriate location for this dealership.”
A community meeting open to supporters will be held this Wednesday at 5pm in the Ecology Action Centre (2705 Fern Lane). Demolition on the properties in question is expected to commence in May.
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Related Stories
Update: Steele demolishing 17 properties around Colonial Honda
Elmwood building on South Street to be torn down
In the name of democratic development
An open letter to Rob Steele
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2016.
An example of the type of business that no longer needs to be taking up large chunks of valuable possible residential development land in the core of the municipality. This kind of commercial venture should be locating in the current Power Centre / light industrial areas of the burg. Or along some of the few ‘corridor’ roads heading to the burbs. Or if they remain in town they could be like in some cities and be located in multi story buildings with nice interior show rooms etc., that take up a smaller actual land foot print.
Is he legally buying them? Is he following city code? if the answer is yes to both questions frankly it is none of the neighborhoods business what he does with his land
If council can exempt developers from obeying the laws, they can also pass laws to support people against this wanton sociopathy. It’s time we had councillors who will fight the destruction of sociopath “owners” who have no compassion for others. We are losing all citizen rights because people who care about nothing but money and getting bigger think they can do and get anything they want. Like Bernie Sanders says, we have to break up this control. We have to stop these sociopaths.
Spread the word to stop this destruction of a whole community !7-25 houses for a car lot storage!
1/ Boycott Colonial Honda and Steele Motors Companies.
2/ Encourage younger progressives to run for council with stopping this as a feature of their platform. Let the current council know they won’t be getting your vote if they allow this. They can stop it if they want to. They can break the laws for developers so why can’t they for the people?
3/ Share this everywhere across Canada in the U.S. Tell everyone what kind of sicko place Halifax is when peoples’ whole neighbourhoods can be destroyed and lives ruined for a parking lot.
4/ Call a public protest meeting and encircle the area with citizens holding hands and get the national media to cover it.
5/ Get banners like those “No fracking” banners that the owner of he Black Market got made in Bali quite reasonably and surround the neighbourhood with them.
Please add to this list.
Waye Mason and other councillors–If you have the political will, you can stop it. Either stop it or perhaps we can get a new slate of progressive younger people running for council with stopping this as a feature of their platform. It’s way past time we get progressive councillors who have the guts to rein in the so called “enough money in the community” wheelers and dealers who’ve been having their way outside the law in the back rooms here for too long. If citizens don’t fight power hungry money addicts who will destroy everything to feed their addiction to be bigger and richer, we will have nothing of charm, sound environmental and cultural significance, beauty or independence left, as Chris Hedges has been telling us for the past ten years.
The only comment made by Steele at all so far was from the COO who acknowledged that the “residents expressed reluctance to change”. How insulting – and such a clear disconnect from the actual issue that is raising so much attention. Steele has handled all this extremely poorly from the start. Just because they CAN (legally, financially) doesn’t mean they SHOULD. Some things are just plain wrong.
OH for heavens sakes! NONE of you live in the area and I dare say none are familiar with it well enough to see the effect it will NOT have. Don’t tell me I can’t buy a property and raze it or that I can’t sell my property because it will be razed. This area is heavily commercial with a small residential piece smattered amongst the commercial. No children, animal or even fucking bugs will suffer. Why the Coast is even writing about this is bizzare.
Jacob, I told you before and I will continue to say it: you’re writing is great but you’re working for the wrong company…
Actually, Charlie, you have it the wrong way around: The area is almost totally residential, not commercial. Most of the big-box shit and warehouses are on the west side of Robie. Colonial already sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb on the east side.
This will take an additional huge bite out of the neighbourhood, more than tripling Colonial’s footprint, right up to Agricola Street’s doorstep.
It’s a despicable plan.
‘Preciate it, Charles. 😉
Well JereBat, I live in the area and know the neighborhood well so I don’t think I’m wrong in my assertions. Maybe you need to re-asses yours?
Nah, don’t think so, Charlie. Look at a map, my friend.
price dictates all, I suggest the price was right or nobody would have sold out. Price always wins. I do feel sorry for the people who live on the other side who were used to looking a homes and families and now will see cars, pavement , and will hear the hustle and bustle of business ongoings.
I think its ridiculous that Rob Steele’s lot has to be surrounded by houses. Jesus, its a car lot that he, his employees and customers don’t need to be looking at residential homes from when trying to conduct automobile business.
But on the plus side to the remaining neighbours I would imagine this will free up more then a few curb side parking spots for you. I know your driveways are tight if not non- existent.
Gotta stay positive and I say again, what the fuck is wrong with you Halifax?
Charlie – I live directly in the zone slated for demo. I have really young kids. Directly beside me live more young kids. Children WILL suffer. You’re just wrong. The area is largely residential. It’s an absurd plan on many levels.
Chelsi dear, stop over-reacting. No one is razing your kids; they will be fine! I’ll bet the only thing that will happen is that they’ll remember is the stories you’ll tell them about where they once lived; and that they will buy Hondas.
“Children WILL suffer”
Excellent point 🙂
Charlie,
Are you always so condescending? How difficult would it be for you to present your ( albeit contrarian ) view in a respectful way?