Historic, newly renovated four-unit building at 2110 Robie Street- demolished.

Mid-town Halifax housing takes another hit this morning as an “Investor” knocks down 2110 Robie to save on maintenance and taxes and to profit from poor planning.
 
At least four units are destroyed in a recently renovated, pristine and irreplaceable building next to the North Common. (see pictures below) This is one of 450 demolition permits HRM has issued since January 2020.
Please sign the petition to Petition to Stop Demolitions – shorturl.at/dlxET

Rebuild? Sure, when interest rates come down, labour supply goes up, the land can be flipped to a developer or the demolisher feels good and ready. 
 
Meanwhile, HRM loses income and irreplaceable housing. Mid-town rental gets tighter. Hospital workers, students and others have farther to travel each day to come to work or study. 
 
And land values are inflated. This same demolisher recently got $62 million for a portion of his newly acquired lands left over from ~27 buildings he demolished over the past year. That cost must be absorbed into the cost of any new build.
 
This “costing” does not take into account the cost to the climate from greenhouse gases associated with the materials and products to unnecessarily replace the existing floor area, or for the materials and products for new buildings. 
 
Nor does it account for the cost to the climate and biodiversity from the cutting of hundreds of mature, historic trees throughout HRM. A brief list: the reduction or elimination of free shade, habitat, pollution / noise reduction, heat-island effect, and managing intensive rain and run-off. 
 
Does HRM Council congratulate itself on taking the “long view” or act to change the status quo?

Historic, newly renovated four-unit building at 2110 Robie Street, predemolition.

Historic, newly renovated four-unit building at 2110 Robie Street, demolition, July 2023