Imagine Bloomfield encouraged by hints province is pulling out

A hint by the premier that the province will be pulling out of Imagine Bloomfield is being welcomed by the chair of the organization assisting with the site's redevelopment.

Speaking with reporters at province house Friday, Stephen McNeil said the province is now considering getting out of the project altogether.

Susanne Fuller is co-chair of Imagine Bloomfield, the community group that had been working with Housing Nova Scotia on the redevelopment of the former school.

"If the province pulls out it would be good," she said. "It would kind of unshackle the process, and that's why we left the project."

Repeated delays

Imagine Bloomfield cut its ties with Housing Nova Scotia — the provincial corporation tasked with developing the site — in January, citing a lack of progress.

Fuller said that despite good intentions on both sides, the repeated delays could be a sign of Housing Nova Scotia's lack of capacity for a project of this scale.

"In a way it's quite unfortunate because the original intentions of the project were quite laudable," she said. "But the road to hell is sometimes paved with good intentions."

The province won the bid for the project in 2012.

Fuller said there were problems with the project from the beginning.

Could return to square one

"From the outset we questioned it; we have always questioned the fact that their bid was $15 million and the private sector's was $8 million."

If the province were to withdraw from the site, the project would return to square one — meaning bidding could once again be opened.

But Fuller said that even if the site were to leave public hands, there are provisions that should ensure it remains oriented to the public interest, including policies under the Bloomfield Master Plan that mandate affordable housing and community space at the site.

In the meantime, the municipality has requested a staff report on the status of the project to be delivered at the next council meeting on May 24.

With Colonial Honda planning to expand its north end dealership, demolishing homes on the block adjacent to Bloomfield, Fuller said the pressure is on to make the dream of Imagine Bloomfield a reality.

"Halifax is losing out on the redevelopment of a really important piece of public land," she said.

"It's time that we at least admit it and go back to square one."