Halifax car dealership defends demolition plans with webpage

A car dealership planning to bulldoze north-end Halifax homes is defending its expansion on a new webpage about the development.

As of Wednesday, Steele Auto Group has been granted 19 demolition permits for recently purchased properties surrounding its Colonial Honda dealership on Robie Street.

The dealership's plans have sparked community pushback, including from a former city plannerwho argues all dealerships shouldmoveoff the peninsula.

"We have invested significantly in the business and the neighbourhood, so it is no longer economically feasible or practical to move the dealership to another location at this point in time,"the online statement from Steele says.

"[A]t some point in the future we'd be interested in participating in a conversation with HRM planners and others to review longer term considerations."

Steele plans to build a parking lot and display area without constructing any new buildings, the statement said.

Fourteen of the properties ithas boughthave "a high vacancy rate, and several had bylaw citations for appearance,"the company said.

Push for new rules

The municipality is looking at redoing all zoning in the urban core through the Centre Plan Project.

Jennifer Watts, municipal councillor for the area, has been encouraging people to attendpublic consultations in the coming weeks. Options "really don't exist"to stop Steele's plans,which are within zoning guidelines, Watts previously told CBC News.

• Steele Auto Group needs 'a lot of pressure' to change demolition plans

The affected area is mostly occupied by homes or rental properties, but its C2 commercial zoning allows any business, with only a few exemptions.

The area affected isFern Lane, May Street, McCully Street, North Street and Robie Street.

Moving dealerships would cost

Any broad decision tomovedealerships off the peninsula would have to be taken with great consideration, according to the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers'Association.

"These are,as they stand currently, significant investments both in real estate and buildings," executive vice president JohnSutherlandtold CBC News.

"They do form a significant part of the city tax base, as well. The prospect of moving them, there would be a cost."

• Holdouts battle car dealership's plans to bulldoze north-end properties

• View an interactive map of Steele-bought properties

Steele dealership previously told CBC that neighbours saw the parking lot as a "marked improvement"over the existing rental properties.

"We will be making improvements to the existing space with a design befitting the area and respectful of our surroundings,"Steele said in the statement, accompanied by two artist renditions of the expansion.

The company said they've met with neighbours and are compliant with the Residential Tenancies Act of Nova Scotia.

No timeline yet

The statement from Steeledoes not include a timeline for the demolition of the properties, butconstruction management and development planshas been submitted to the city.

The plans have been developed byarchitect MarkHughsand engineering firm BD Stevens,Steele president Dave MacRitchie said by email Wednesday.

Steele hasdeclinedCBC'srequests for interviews.