Halifax issues demolition permit for remaining Bloomfield buildings

The developer that owns the Bloomfield property in north-end Halifax plans to demolish the existing buildings on the lot.

A demolition plan prepared last month says the remaining buildings will be torn down and the site will be cleared for future development.

The city issued a demolition permit on March 11, and while the permit is valid until Sept. 5, the demolition plan says the buildings will be torn down between April 1 and July 1.

The plan and permit come after one of the site's three buildings was destroyed by fire in February.

The Bloomfield site, which stretches from Agricola Street to Robie Street on the south side of Almon Street, was comprised of three structures — one large building and two annexes. The fire destroyed the annex that faces Agricola Street, also known as the Fielding building.

The Fielding building was demolished after the fire due to safety concerns.

Dave Meldrum, the deputy fire chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, told CBC News on Tuesday that the cause has not yet been released. He said staff are close to finishing their investigation report, and it should be completed within the next two weeks.

The property owner, Banc Investments, did not respond to a request for comment from CBC News.

The councillor for the area, Virginia Hinch, said she's happy the developer has committed to tearing down the structures, but she hopes the city will eventually buy the property. 

When the property was sold to Banc in 2021, the sale came with the condition that if construction did not begin by January 2026, the municipality would have the option to buy the property back.

Hinch said the developer told her Banc plans to build housing on the site, with 10 per cent of the 650 units deemed affordable.

"Their affordability is not my community's affordability," she said. "I'm not happy with it. I would like to see it more affordable and more units added on to that."

Slow decline of building conditions

A school at the property closed in 1988, and was used afterward as a community space for many years until it became vacant in 2014.

Banc had previously vowed to have a design ready for development of the site in 2021. But two years later, Banc owner Alex Halef said high interest rates and limited construction financing had waylaid his plans, and he had "no timeline" for demolishing the buildings and proceeding with the development.

The property has been the subject of municipal orders to address dangerous and unsightly conditions, including cleaning up garbage and dealing with missing fencing, broken windows and graffiti.

In 2023, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency deemed the site an "immediate safety risk," and the city ordered the company to conduct a structural integrity assessment. 

That report found that two of the three buildings were unsafe to access, while the main Bloomfield building had two roof leaks but the framing and load-bearing walls were all in good condition.