Future Plans for the West End Mall

Can Halifax handle an additional 5,500 housing units for 12,500 people? Do we have the infrastructure to support these new residents? Will the housing be affordable enough to co-act against our current housing crisis?

As of December 14th, 2021, the plan was approved by our regional council to begin the master planning process covering the Halifax Shopping Center annex. An area located between Mumford Road and Leppert Street. This construction has involved “relocating” several existing commercial buildings in the West End Mall area to the Halifax Shopping Centre. An agreement was made by several landowners with Cushman Wakefield and the Shopping Center to eventually demolish several commercial buildings.

The proposal outlines the building of fifteen 90-foot residential towers up to 25 stories in height, several townhouses, added street construction and a new bus terminal proposed to be underground. The Mumford transit terminal is located within the redevelopment area. Municipal staff believe an upgraded transit hub or new adjacent bus terminal as stated could be beneficial for traffic flow to support our growing community. That said, a traffic study to review traffic flow and assess transportation needs has not yet been conducted and discussed. Due to this, there has not been an approved go ahead for Mumford terminal construction as of right now. 

Affordable housing of these units is a future concern although current plans are being put in place to make sure all guidelines are followed. HRM as a whole has begun an inclusionary zoning process which once set in motion will help ensure these units have prices set at an affordable rate for new residents.

Currently having more public facilities to fit our current population could be considered an issue with overflow units in healthcare facilities being packed and schools in the residential area being labeled over capacity. Our municipal council is working directly with the owners of the West End Mall area to ensure proper installments are put in place to effectively support this incoming flow of new people, as well as our current community. Green space development, public health, and safety are all things that need to be addressed during this project's establishment.

This construction is planned to take multiple years following the municipal design guidelines and is still in its beginning stages regarding Mumford and the West End Mall area. Contractors and the Halifax Regional Municipality believe its estimated completion time could be upwards of 50 years, and base planning could take 20. 

Given the statistics and current planning progression, many opinions on this change are warranted and understandable. Overall more housing here in Canada is necessary as it opens up more housing options for new residents but since the specific details of this construction are still being worked through, its effects on our city can’t be completely assessed. That said, at this point, I believe the public can be optimistic about the situation and precautions being put in place to make sure the change, while sizable, is properly implemented and supported.