02/18/2025
Chronology of Events 2004-2016 Undertaken by Imagine Bloomfield
Community efforts to develop vision and ensure sustainability of Centre
The following is a chronology of events, meetings and occurrences related to the redevelopment of the Bloomfield site outlining community efforts to present a community supported, financially viable alternative to closing the centre as well as initiatives taken by HRM.
-2004-
March 2004: Bloomfield Review Committee Presents to Tenants (minutes requested but never provided)
March 2004: Formation of Bloomfield Artists Collective (no formal designation)
March 15, 2004: First Proposal for Green Building Retrofit Submitted to Bloomfield Review Committee, cc’d to Maureen MacDonald, MLA, Jerry Blumenthal, Councilor District 11, Mayor Peter Kelly
Summer 2004: Formation of Bloomfield Commons Building Coalition (informal group) Bloomfield Artists Collective, Ecology Action Centre, Citadel Boxing Club.
September 2004: Archival research into heritage potential, school history, architectural
integrity of the Commons Building. Drafting of the Bloomfield Commons Building Coalition Vision Statement.
September 29, 2004: Bloomfield Commons Building Coalition meeting with HRM
Staff Peta Jane Temple (HRM Grants Program) and Maggie Holm (Heritage). September 2004 Submission of proposal by the Bloomfield Commons Building Coalition to HRM staff (council and mayor) ; presentation . Partial business plan included for retrofitting and renovation based on full tenancy of Commons Building.
November 2004: Report from Bloomfield Review Committee; recommendation is full
disposal (sale) of the Bloomfield School Site.
December 2004: Communication with Councilor Dawn Sloane with regards to heritage designation potential for the Commons and Fielding Buildings.
-2005-
January 11, 2005: Dissolution of the Bloomfield Centre Board.
January 13, 2005: Formation of the Friends of Bloomfield Centre (tenants, community
groups and interested members of the public).
January 15, 2005: Meeting with Green Power Labs to discuss site assessment for
alternative energy production.
February 2, 2005: Presentation to the Bloomfield Neighborhood Association and
Councilor Patrick Murphy with regards to supporting a community led initiative for the development of the Bloomfield Centre.
February 11, 2005: Informal meeting of the Friends of the Bloomfield Centre.
February 20, 2005: Meeting with Patrick Murphy, Councilor for District 11.
March 9, 2005: Presentation to HRM Planning Committee.
March 14th, 2005: Presentation to Community Council (cancelled)
May 13th 2005: Bloomfield Centre open house organized by Bloomfield Commons Building Coalition
August 2005: Imagine Bloomfield Society created under NS Societies Act.
Regular updates to Bloomfield Neighbourhood Residents Association
Presentation to HRM Cultural Advisory Committee requested but denied.
June 2005 Options program relocated to HHMarshall building with HRDA. Recycling program at centre discontinued.
July 2005 Commons Building shut by HRM due to mould, which was a result of poor building maintenance and above average wet weather in May 2005, as well as the lack of ventilation system in an active gym. Artists and Boxing club forced to relocate.
September 2005 Nova Scotia Safety Council relocated
September 14th, 2005 Meeting with Mayor Peter Kelly (Rosemary Godin, Ariel Harper, Susanna Fuller)
September 2005 Presentation to HRM Advisory Committee on Race Relations
September 28th, 2005: Recreation / Cultural Meeting at Bloomfield to assess assets in neighbourhood. Public concern with Bloomfield process expresses
-2006-
August 2006 Bike Again Community Program locked out
October 25th, 2006: Imagine Bloomfield Tenants and Users Consultation (2 sessions, 50 people in total).
October 3rd 2006: Councilor Murphy presents motion at Regional Council, motion passed.
November 8th, 2006: Imagine Bloomfield Community Consultation two sessions (60 people total)
November 2006: Requested meeting with HRM Staff regarding consultation results and sharing. Request denied.
November 2006 Imagine Bloomfield contacted by and met with Peter Bigelow, HRM Real Property, to discuss Imagine Bloomfield role in Bloomfield Review Phase III. HRM suggested that IB be a stakeholder in the consultation. No commitment by HRM to use results of IB consultations or design workshop.
December / January 2006 Jujitsu Club asked to leave due to commercial nature of the club.
-2007-
February 1, 2007: Lunch at Fred’s with Imagine Bloomfield, Margie Zeigler and Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
February 1, 2007: Public Lecture by Margie Zeigler. Dalhousie School of Architecture. Subject of lecture, building reuse, eco renovations and co-location.
February 2, 2007: Key Players Meeting at Downtown Halifax Business Commission (HRM Staff and Council represented). Recommendations / Lessons learned:
February 3, 2007: Imagine Bloomfield Design Workshop (~110 participants throughout the day)
(February 20th, approval by Council, in camera of proposed tenancy plan by staff, 75% of tenants were recommended for relocation)
March 1 2006, new leased approved for Bike Again for one year, in the Fielding Building, all other tenants forced to move from that building.
March 2007 Meeting with Peter Bigelow (did not show), Susanna Fuller and Lois Miller met with Councilors Sloane, Murphy and Fougere to express concern with Bloomfield tenants review
April 10, 2007 Presentation to Community Health Board
April 12, 2007 Meeting of tenants regarding tenants relocation proposal from HRM staff.
April 13, 2007 Planning team presentation to Imagine Bloomfield results of 8 month study of Bloomfield tenancy and proposed future directions.
-2008-
Summer 2008 Imagine Bloomfield meets with BML consultants, ongoing development of Bloomfield Master Plan
-2009-
February 18th , 2009 Imagine Bloomfield Partnership and Networking Event at FRED 45 people in attendance, IB presented next steps based on HRM Master Plan.
March 2009-May 2009: Imagine Bloomfield conducts Needs Assessment of arts, culture, non-profit, housing and commercial organizations / groups / businesses to assess the level of interest in the community for potential tenants.
November 4,5 2009 Imagine Bloomfield hosts Artscape Creative Space Making Workshop at the Bloomfield Centre, 75 people in attendance, ½ day reserved for HRM staff and Artscape consultants to discuss the Bloomfield project.
-2010 -
May 16th, 2010 Imagine Bloomfield hosts In Full Bloom festival at the Bloomfield Centre
May 19th, 2010 Imagine Bloomfield Annual General Meeting
May 2010 Meeting with HRM planning staff on engagement of Imagine Bloomfield in the RFP process.
May 2010 Imagine Bloomfield invited presenter at NS Planning Conference.
August 13th, 2010 HRM posts RFP document for next stages of the Bloomfield Masterplan Implementation.
September 19, 2010 Imagine Bloomfield and Megan Leslie host Community Harvest Festival at the Bloomfield Centre
December 2010: Harrison Mueke report completed on Bloomfield Masterplan Implementation, report not presented to HRM council.
-2011-
March 2011 Imagine Bloomfield sits on HRM Review Committee for second implementation RFP (this was never awarded)
June 2011 Imagine Bloomfield AGM, interest from Halifax Regional School Board discussed
August 2011 HRM Council vote down staff recommendation to proceed w/ School Board interest in Bloomfield Site.
October 15th, 2011 Imagine Bloomfield & Ecology Action Centre host opening of Community Greenhouse
October 19th 2011 Imagine Bloomfield hosts Dal Community Development class at Bloomfield (Ships contract awarded during the class), HRM staff and Councilor Watts also participate in panel discussion.
-2012-
January 7th, 2012 IB presents to community council, Harrison Mueke report also raised and distributed to Peninsula councilors.
February 2012 Imagine Bloomfield receives Voluntary Sector Trust grant.
February 2012 IB, Maureen MacDonald, etc meet with Halifax Regional School Board, reps. Form Community Services also present.
March 2012 Imagine Bloomfield hires Co*Lab and Adam Barnett through Voluntary Sector Trust grant with the mandate to revisit our needs assessment, connect with a broad range of organizations and solidify a list of potential tenants for the Bloomfield Centre.
May 14th 2012 IB presents to Peninsula Community Council on Needs assessment results, Staff report recommending use of IB need assessment in next stages, RFP scoring matrix presented.
June 2, 2012 Imagine Bloomfield hosts In Full Bloom Festival.
June 19th 2012 HRM releases RFQ / RFP.
June 28th 2012 HRM hosts developers tour at Bloomfield Centre
July 3rd 2012 IB hosts partnership event for developers to explain our expected role in the project. (2 developers and several community members attend)
July 10th 2012 IB meets with Deputy Minister of Community Services, Rob Wood.
July 25th 2012 Shortlist of developers released, Dexel, NS HDC, Urban Capital, Daniels Corp.
August 2012: IB meets with 3 of 4 developers, attempts to contact NS HDC but no response.
September 2012: Final RFP for Bloomfield redevelopment due.
December 8th, 2012 Staff Report recommending NS HDC released for decision at Dec. 11 Council meeting.
December 11th, 2012: HRM Council votes on accepting staff recommendation to sell Bloomfield to the province of NS, through the Nova Scotia Housing Development Corporation.
December 13th 2012, IB meets with Minister Peterson-Rafuse, NS HDC
December 18th, 2012 NS Community Services and IB release press release on partnership.
December 2012: All existing tenants in Bloomfield get letter from HRM that they are now on a month to month lease.
-2013-
January 7th 2013 IB meeting with Mayor Savage and Councilor Watts regarding reinvestment in the site by HRM, HRM continued engagement, IB and province.
February 8th, 2013 IB and Councilor Watts to meet with tenants.
August 30, 2013, marked a milestone in the work of Imagine Bloomfield with the launch of the development process of Bloomfield in partnership with Housing Nova Scotia. Province invests in new $100m Halifax housing project. 480 units of housing, 10,000 sf commercial and 20,000 sq of community space. Financial bid with RFP: $15
-2014-
June 2014, Housing Nova Scotia (HNS) and Imagine Bloomfield co-hosted the In Full Bloom fair and HNS launched its public consultation by recruiting a core team of community representatives.
July – September 2014: HNS invites REOI for community groups to operate and occupy non-profit space.
September 2014: HNS presents draft plans to core team and IB.
December 2014: Meeting with HNS and IB on plans and specific questions around housing affordability, unit mix, community space.
-2015-
March 26 HNS announced that it would launch the updated design. However, that date came and went without any word from HNS about cancelling or delaying.
Oct 23. IB meets with Mayor about delay. He promises to contact Minister Bernard.
October 25 IB Sends letter to mayor and council.
- 2016 -
January 2016: IB leaves formal partnership with Housing Nova Scotia.
March 2016: IB sends letter to province recommending that HNS leave the project as a lead, given the delays in timeline, lack of partnership etc.
...more to come..
