$110M Halifax Forum redevelopment plan moves forward after years of debate

After nine years of reports, consultations, and recommendations, the redevelopment process surrounding one of Halifax’s largest and oldest recreation centres is moving to the next stage.

During a meeting Tuesday, Halifax councillors voted 14-2 in favour of directing Cathie O’Toole, the city’s CAO, to allocate funds to create a detailed site and facility design for upgrading the 95-year-old Halifax Forum.

According to a Halifax Regional Council report on May 31, the latest plans are consistent with previous recommendations made in 2021. The only key difference is the price tag, as the estimated project costs have since increased from $81 million to $110 million over the past two years due to “inflationary pressures”.

The latest updates come after an online and in-person community consultation process that began in April 2022. According to the city’s report, there was “moderate support for the project” with stronger support for the inclusion of parkland and less public support regarding the decrease in parking.

Overall, general survey responses indicated that 47 per cent approved of the redevelopment, with 35 per cent disagreeing and 18 per cent remaining neutral towards the idea.

A redevelopment of the Halifax Forum, which was deemed a municipal heritage property in 2003, would include the construction of two new ice rink facilities, a multi-purpose space, and parkland while ensuring the preservation of some of the building’s “character-defining features”.

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During Tuesday’s discussions, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage admitted he “changed his mind over the last little while” after hearing recommendations and reports regarding the redevelopment.

“The Forum is a big part of Halifax. It’s a big part of what makes us this city,” he said, as he listed off several concerts and events that attracted thousands to it since its construction, using his adolescent experience attending the concert of a popular 1970s rock band as an example.

“It means something to us emotionally, but we need to take the emotion out of it and say, ‘Does the fact that I saw KISS there mean that it’s heritage?'” he asked.

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Despite the concerns surrounding the price increase, Savage acknowledged it’s an “important project” as residents benefit from the facilities provided at the Forum.

“We all struggle with the price tag, but the price tag is the price tag. We can worry about it now or it will be $200 million at some point in time.”

The Halifax Forum, located on Windsor Street in the city’s north end, currently has two ice rinks. It also serves as a venue for weekend farmer’s markets, flea markets, bingo nights, public skating, and concerts.

A recommendation was also made in the previous 2021 report to consider the sale of some of the property’s land for private development to help offset project costs.

In return, the development would’ve reduced on-site parking from about 500 to 150 spaces in favour of on-street parking as a result of an extended parkland to accompany the development. Council voted against selling the surplus property in order to maintain the existing parking spaces.

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Following that motion being voted down, Mayor Savage reiterated that some land will still be sold.

“We will be selling some land, we’re just going to figure out the most economical, sensible, and effective way of doing that first,” he said.

Coun. Waye Mason drew attention to the value provided by the Forum to the nearby community, noting there are 75,000 residents on the Halifax peninsula with about 35,000 people living within a 15-minute walking distance of the facility.

He used these metrics as a way to gauge how the project’s amenities will continue serving the city’s rapidly increasing population.

“With the growth that we’re all anticipating … this thing that we’re talking about spending 100 million dollars on now will be servicing 85,000 people within a 15-minute walking distance and 170,000 people on the peninsula in 50 years,” he said. “That’s what this facility is for.”

“I think we just got to dig deep and make it happen,” he concluded.

The report also said that the building’s conditions would be at risk if the redevelopment process isn’t approved as “significant challenges” are leading to the facility’s deterioration.

“Rain events this past fall and winter resulted in significant leaking through the walls and freeze/thaw has continued to destabilize the masonry wall system,” the report said.

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“Building accessibility and compliance with updated code requirements can only be addressed through a sustainable building redevelopment.”

Coun. Trish Purdy, who voted against the motion, said she’d like to see the council explore different pricing options before taking those next steps.

“I’d like to request that we get some options for pricing so that we don’t just have the ‘Cadillac version’ and we get the ‘Honda version’ as well, just to see what the options are,” she said, referring to a developer’s earlier analysis of the current $110-million figure as the ‘Cadillac version’ of what could be done for heritage restoration on the site.

“Does it have to be the ‘Cadillac version’ with taxpayer money?” she said.

CAO Cathie O’Toole said she suspects the price is likely to fluctuate as the project spans throughout the duration of four fiscal years.

“I’m quite confident that the number is going to change after the detailed design,” she said. “We would have an opportunity to adjust the number when we come back to council and in future years’ budgets.”