Halifax MP urges Canada Post to sell prime city land to make way for new housing

Halifax Member of Parliament Andy Fillmore says Canada Post should offload a prime plot of Halifax real estate to make room for more housing on the peninsula. 

The 5.7-hectare parcel of land, located between Almon and Young streets in Halifax's north end, is currently home to a one-level sorting and mail distribution facility. It has been identified by the city as being "strategically positioned for significant density."

"This is a massive opportunity to bolster housing supply in our urban core, on a site near existing services like schools and transit, and already connected to water and sewage," Fillmore said in a release issued Wednesday.

The land makes up a large portion of what the Halifax Regional Municipality is calling the Young Street lands future growth node, which consists of 11.7 hectares of underutilized land in the area, and also includes the Mayflower Curling Club and some retail stores, offices, warehouses and surface parking. 

The city estimates that redeveloping the land has the potential to add up to 5,000 housing units, including 2,000 on the Canada Post site.

Fillmore said he's currently in talks with Canada Post about relocating the facility and selling the land, but that's still in the early stages.

It's not only Canada Post that would need to get on board with the redevelopment plan, however. All landowners must agree to participate in a single development deal for the project to move forward, he said. 

"It's a very complex site ... but it's not impossible," Fillmore said in an interview with Mainstreet Halifax on Wednesday. "It's doable … [if] everybody's facing in the same direction."

Fillmore says there have been precedents for a move like this in cities like Vancouver and Toronto, where urban Canada Post facilities have been moved to less dense areas outside of the downtown core.  

"If we've learned one thing from the current housing crisis, it's that we need to be planning today for the houses that we're going to need in 2030," he said.

Halifax MP mulling run for mayor

Fillmore's comments come as the Halifax MP is considering a run for mayor later this year.

"I think there are a lot of people that are weighing the option of putting their names in," he said. "My decision will be based on the conversations that I'm having with residents across the municipality, with my family."

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage announced earlier this month he will not seek re-election in the municipal election this October after 12 years in office. 

In a statement Wednesday, the city said it is currently focused on determining what type of housing density is suitable for the Young Street development area. 

It has not begun discussions with Canada Post about the land, but plans to do so as part of the planning process. 

A staff report on the land's potential was released to council last November. 

Canada Post has yet to respond to a request for comment.