Council discusses future of old Halifax Memorial Library

Municipal staff recommends council direct the CAO to develop a proposal for the reuse and redevelopment of the building with the province and Dalhousie University.

The library closed its doors Aug. 30, 2014 to make way for the Halifax Central Library

Anjuli Patil · CBC News · Posted: Nov 13, 2018 6:11 PM EST | Last Updated: November 13, 2018

A conceptual plan for the former Halifax Memorial Library as prepared by Dalhousie University. (Dalhousie University)

The future of the former Halifax Memorial Library became a little clearer Tuesday after regional council voted 13-3 for a report to look into redeveloping the site in conjunction with the province and Dalhousie University.

"This is a really unique piece of land in the middle of the city, it's got green space around it," said Mayor Mike Savage. "People have been looking at the building and driving around it for a long time and wondering what's going to go on."

According to a declassified report from Halifax CAO Jacques Dubé, the redeveloped building would include a public atrium, education space, municipal premises as well as commercial and retail space.

The staff recommendation, outlined in a report that became public Tuesday, said the proposal should include an analysis of both a public-private partnership and an option for Halifax to design and own the project.

The Halifax Memorial Library closed Aug. 30, 2014. (Anjuli Patil/CBC)

The library building, located at Grafton Street and Spring Garden Road, closed Aug. 20, 2014, to make way for the Halifax Central Library.

During the council meeting Tuesday, Dubé made a presentation on redeveloping the former library.

In the presentation, he said the land where the library sits had to be turned over to the province when the library ceased operation.

Dubé said the province is interested in removing restrictions to using land only being used for a library — but there were 10 conditions attached.

A redeveloped library property could combine space for HRM and Dalhousie University as well as a commercial component. (Dalhousie University)

Some of those conditions include the province being consulted in the future and it not being required to bear any costs related to future changes in the use of the site.

Coun. Russell Walker wasn't impressed.

"My first reaction was, take it back — you do it then," said Walker. "I am disappointed that the province didn't want it, but boy they're sure controlling it."

The report says Dalhousie, the municipality and the province have been talking about sharing the space for the university's architecture school, municipal space and a commercial area available for lease.

Dubé recommended staff work on a feasibility report to be discussed in 2019. The report would look into whether there should be a public-private agreement or if the municipality should redevelop the space on its own.