Halifax Stadium Discussion

[q12]

Shannon Park property still in limbo

Smith hopes soccer bid will spur development

By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter

Mon, Mar 7 - 4:54 AM



Most of the former military housing site at Shannon Park in Dartmouth sits empty, but deputy mayor and local councillor Jim Smith hopes that won’t be the case for long.

Halifax’s interest in hosting the FIFA World Women’s Cup in 2015 and Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s musings that Shannon Park would be an ideal spot for a stadium will hopefully mean something will happen soon, Smith said.

The councillor said that it is high time something happened.

"I’m pleased to hear Minister MacKay say he thinks it a good site for a stadium,"" he said.

"Maybe that will be a catalyst for something to be done. We can’t just let it sit there."

Halifax Regional Municipality is mulling over building a stadium so it can be one of the Canadian cities to host the soccer event.

"I think it would be a great spot," Smith said. "There could actually be a cluster there of maybe a stadium and a couple of new rinks, and there’s room there for land for an aboriginal claim and for residential development. It would probably spur some private development there as well."

But not much has been happening lately. "There’s not a lot going on right now and that’s the unfortunate part," he said. "The last thing that took place was (the Defence Department) doing a land study of what it was worth. It’s been in the hands of DND, but they haven’t transferred it over to Canada Lands. We’re not sure why."

Canada Lands Co. is an arm’s-length federal Crown corporation that buys land Ottawa deems surplus. It manages or sells those properties.

Smith said the next step would have been for Canada Lands to decide what to do with the property, whether to develop it on its own or seek development proposals.

He said he doesn’t get a lot of unsolicited comments from constituents about the site, "but whenever I talk to someone, it’s pointed out that they’d like to get something done down there.

"It doesn’t matter whether it’s a stadium or a redevelopment. It’s just an eyesore and they would like to have it redeveloped. It’s just been sitting there too long."

The school at the site is still being used, as are soccer fields and a rink, but the old residential area has been fenced off.

"I would just like to have something done there," Smith said. "We were right on the cusp of having DND turn it over (to a developer), then the Commonwealth Games came along and it got delayed and delayed, and then (the Games) fell through, and nothing has happened since."

http://thechronicleherald.ca/DCW/1231831.html