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UPDATE: Communications advisor Toby Koffman (with the department of Business) claims The Coast extrapolated inaccurate information from his fellow spokesperson Brian Taylor’s emailed statement. We’ve published his response below the amended article.
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It was always supposed to be either a park or a library. But now that it’s not a library, it could wind up a shopping mall.
The old Spring Garden Road Memorial Library could wind up sold to private developers—unless HRM takes back control of the site from the provincial government.
The Grafton Park property that houses the old Spring Garden library was originally given to Halifax by Nova Scotia under the condition it only ever be used as a park or a public library. That’s all the property ever was until 2014, when the new Central Library opened across the street.
The redundant building has sat vacant ever since. In October 2014, council subdivided the property—keeping the 17,000 square foot “triangle” strip of grass out front as a municipally controlled public park, while allowing the back lot and building to be returned to the province.
According to Halifax South Downtown councillor Waye Mason, that was specifically done because the province wanted to turn the building into a start-up incubator with Volta Labs.
“At the time the provincial government was on a tear to announce something in a couple of months,” writes Mason in an email. “So council moved quickly to approve it as an extraordinary sale.”
Two years later, the start-up plans are dead-in-the-water still being negotiated (though Volta has already moved into the Maritime Centre), and the department of Transportation Infrastructure Renewal is sitting on the vacant property while the transfer of title remains in limbo.
What will be done to the site after the province officially take control is still up in the air according to spokesperson Brian Taylor, but selling it off to private interests is certainly on the table.
“The province is considering many possible options, including private use,” Taylor writes over email, while cautioning it would be “premature to discuss any potential plans for the site before it is in the province’s possession.”
The news isn’t welcomed by the area councillor.
“That land should not be developed privately under any circumstances,” Mason says. “The rules the province originally put on the land are entirely correct. I don’t think there is any public appetite to see commercial development there.”
“…it makes sense to have a commercial spot in there. Specifically on a road that’s developing like Spring Garden.”
—Dominick Desjardins
Someone who is hungry to see the property redeveloped is Dominick Desjardins, one of Mason’s opponents in October’s municipal election.
“As far as the building itself, it makes sense to have a commercial spot in there,” says Desjardins. “Specifically on a road that’s developing like Spring Garden.”
The challenger recently unleashed a critical tweetstorm against HRM’s lack of results in repurposing the old library. Desjardins says he’d like to see the municipality consult with business leaders and community members to transform the property into a commercial use “that we can definitely drive revenue from.”
That would be a swift change of direction for council, having previously voted three years ago to demolish the old building and keep the land as a park if a suitable public use for it couldn’t be found.
“Of course, the front of it is sacred ground, that’s understandable,” says Desjardins about the former burial grounds. “But we do have some room at the back.”
Still, all the community consultation in the world wouldn’t alter the original agreement’s terms that only allow the municipality to operate a library or a park. Any other use will have to either directly come from the provincial government, or require its pre-approval.
Desjardins says that’s no excuse, though, and council should pressure the province to sell the land to commercial interests.
“The province isn’t going to do anything with that land, at all, or they would have already,” he says.
Mason, meanwhile, still has some hope Nova Scotia can transform the property into an “exciting public space.” If those plans aren’t finalized by the end of summer, he says city council should cancel the sale and get on with turning the land into a park.
“From my point of view we are waiting for the province to go ahead with its plan or just walk away and let HRM get on with renovating the park,” says Mason.
In the meantime, Halifax is still on the hook for the maintenance and upkeep of the old library, at a cost of close to $140,000 a year.
Regional council had also previously offered the building as a legislative space for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs, who passed due to the $13 million the property needs in renovations.
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UPDATE: Earlier this afternoon, Toby Koffman phoned me requesting a copy of Brian Taylor’s response to my original questions, which I then provided.
In a subsequent email, Koffman stressed that the province still doesn’t own the Spring Garden Road library property, and claims the government didn’t suggest the site could be sold to “developers,” or that it could “wind up as a shopping mall.” He also says that the provincial government remains in discussions with Volta Labs about leasing the library to them, which could in fact constitute “private” not-for-profit use. He also provided a public statement on the future of the old library, printed below, which the province has been apparently using in media requests since March.
“The Old Halifax Memorial Library is a critical piece of real estate that has the potential to encourage business growth, foster innovation and create job opportunities that will help keep young people in Nova Scotia. One of the top priorities of government is to create the conditions for this kind of economic growth in the private sector. Government has the right to reacquire the Halifax Memorial Library from Halifax, and the city has approved a motion to return the property to the province. No decisions have been made about the site. We are in discussions with Volta about leasing the library to them.”
That statement wasn’t provided to The Coast when I first asked last week about future possible uses for the property.
Regardless, the start-up plans for the site apparently aren’t “dead-in-the-water” as I originally wrote, and the article has been updated to correct that. We apologize for the error.
Aside from that, I have several follow-up questions to Koffman’s statements that need clarification before The Coast is comfortable issuing any form of “immediate correction,” as the province requested.
Koffman is currently refusing to discuss the matter over the phone, writing in another email: “I’m sorry, I’ve provided all the information I can.” We’re still hoping to schedule an interview with him, and will write a follow-up piece should that happen.
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This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2016.
Thd city has no use for the land. Sell it off and let’s make way for economic progress in Halifax.
I think an Indigo bookstore would be very suitable for that site.
I hope for two things; first, that at very least the shell of the building remains, second, that no chain stores are permitted unless they are a Nova Scotia small business and this is a second storefront. I shudder at David’s Tea and Lululemon n the Milks Buildong. Both, in my opinion, horrible businesses that do not belong in Halifax unless they stick them in a mall if needs must.
“Mills”‘ sorry, small screen.
This is so confusing… who actually owns the building parcel now? Has it been deeded back to the Province? Or does the HRM still own it? If it’s provincial they can do pretty much whatever they want with it.
Here I did your homework for you: The entire library parcel PID 0076943 is still owned by HRM and hasn’t been returned to the Province and no subdivision has taken place.
You’re welcome 🙂
Totally agree with Mason. “That land should not be developed privately under any circumstances”
This building needs $13 million in renovations? says who? who has assessed it?
The ROM is on the busiest intersection in Toronto. If a library is on a very busy street what argument is there against a museum on the same street ?
I’ve lived acrossed from this for the last 7 years… one of the things about this area is the charm that this Library/Park has… it will be lost forever if it’s privatly owned.. and another great part of Halifax will be gone… there’s got to be a better use for this land .. we certainly don’t need another Condoplex or shopping mall…
Peggy – library had an assessment done almost a decade ago. I can send it to you next week when I am home.
JohnVG – agreement of purchase and sale means the purchaser agrees to buy it, but they have not closed the sale. Until the province closes the deal HRM owns the property.
Any development of this site will have to deal with 4000+ human remains buried there, a legacy of the Poor House. Think that is far-fetched? Ask the folks across the street at St. David’s.
The land should be used for the public good — municipal museum (we don’t have one), contemporary art gallery, concert hall. Halifax has a dearth of public arts infrastructure. Time for that to change.
Agreed this site has to remain a public space… a park there would be superb, even if that means dismantling the building.
Keep the exterior as is and convert the interior to a Faneuil Hall (Boston) type setting: http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
Can we at least get rid of poopy headed Winston?
I feel like the way we treat heritage buildings here is backward. The go-to position is to raze old buildings. If citizens kick up enough stink (like with the Khyber and the Dennis Building) solutions are found. Why don’t we START with finding solutions?
New Misty Moon.
– Soaring ceiling with surrounding balcony.
– Pub down stairs e/w ghost.
– Vomit absorbing lawn.
This location has it all…
Let Lena Diab-Metledge decide, her father, and cousins Joe Medledge and Danny Chowdry are real estate developers, none of those guys are greedy.
I am repeating Peter’s comment.
Any development of this site will have to deal with 4000+ human remains buried there, a legacy of the Poor House. Think that is far-fetched? Ask the folks across the street at St. David’s.
The land should be used for the public good — municipal museum (we don’t have one), contemporary art gallery, concert hall. Halifax has a dearth of public arts infrastructure. Time for that to change. Yes!
Let’s build another Convention Centre there! If we can attract people with one Convention Centre, imagine the people we could attract with two (I’m no mathematician but it should be double, right?). Gotta think big, Halifax, and we’re selling ourselves short with only one white elephant.
Let’s get the same people who assessed Exhibition Park, I mean how thorough were they? 9 million in roof repairs! Damn, those guys know their shit! If we play our cards right, we can have a 2 billion dollar museum, or, we can sell it to a developer for a case of beer and a half pack o smokes. Either way, we lose!
I beleve that this was originally Mi’kmaq land and there are artifacts and burial sites there. At the very least, the Mi’maq need to be consulted and have a major voice in how they see the best changes going forward on what is actually their land. A green space for celebrations of all kinds? – Jazz fest used to be near there. Could the building be a multicultural center for music, art and dance highlighting Mi’kmaw traditions but inviting the best of the settlers cultural expressions – a place for celebrating diversity?