Don't forget about real estate in Dartmouth

A recent report from Colliers International, a highly recognized leasing consulting firm, indicates that commercial and office space availability in Halifax has dropped below the five per cent level.

While mentioning Halifax, I would presume they are including downtown Dartmouth, but of course, they can't be. Downtown Dartmouth has a large selection of office space that is prime for development and occupancy. With the recent trend of residents and workers wanting to live, work and play in an environment that is free from the hustle and bustle of downtown Halifax the options in Dartmouth present a keen alternative.

Not only do these residents and workers have the advantage of great transportation options to downtown Halifax to enjoy its amenities they have access in Dartmouth to live theatre, our advanced Public Library, the highest rated inner city elementary school in Canada, passive and active recreation opportunities that do not exist on peninsula Halifax and a atmosphere of community that is all-inclusive in both volunteer and professional activities.

To meet this immediate need for leased office space, we need a commitment and a recognition from our existing landlords to invest in our future and prepare and market their leasable space recognizing that their investment now will pay off in the long term.

Vacant space equates to vacant vision and a lack of confidence in the market, this, when the alternatives as outlined by Colliers International are very clear. We also need the full support of all three levels of government regarding the relocation of their offices to Dartmouth, where in years past it was common practice to share the proverbial tax dollars around the metro area by leasing office space in Dartmouth.

HRM has taken some major steps in the acquisition of the Alderney Landing complex for municipal offices and they are to be congratulated, but they are not there yet.

Governments have all but abandoned downtown Dartmouth over the past dozen years or so, notwithstanding the significant economic advantages associated with the decision on the new Metro Campus of the Community College taken in 2002. Most recent was the lack of support from our elected representatives in the re-location of NSCAD to Dartmouth Cove and the associated development of a "cultural cluster" that would have benefitted the entire community in a more effective economic fashion than that of Pier 21, as has been seen by recent reports.

The harbourfront trail is a great project, but it could be so much greater if it was part of a larger scheme to get more civil servants, students, residents and private sector workers to develop a healthier lifestyle by using it daily.

The federal government still threatens to move its offices from downtown Dartmouth to a location far from any commercial or retail activity on Bedford Basin. The business community needs a commitment from both the provincial and the federal representatives that they are committed to ensuring the establishment of significant government human resources to downtown Dartmouth. This commitment must be in the form of actual action, not pre-election rhetoric based on "what might be if," but rather "what will be now."

Colliers indicates that there will be new construction taking place over the next few years as the demand grows. Who is taking the lead role, however, in advancing the concept of the new regional court house being placed on the Dartmouth waterfront? Where is the political support and why is there so much unnecessary delay in moving a $300-million development on the Dartmouth Marine Slips forward?

A development that will see an annual return in taxes in excess of $10 million per year to HRM you would think would be an incentive to move it forward. Unfortunately that takes leadership. Why can we not get a consensus on the movement of the CN shunting yards so that this prime piece of Dartmouth waterfront can get developed? We get back again to the larger vision and the leadership needed to move these issues forward, instead of the petty political bickering that, in the very least, must be frustrating for all of the civil servants who are trying so hard to make things happen and, at the very worst, forcing many of them to leave for more productive jobs in the private sector.

The private sector, however, cannot be expected to be a single driving force in the re-development of the entire downtown Dartmouth core. Confidence from all levels of government in our local economy is needed, yet collectively, they appear to be having difficulty in seeing the vision for our future and the relationship of downtown Dartmouth to our overall metro economy.

Downtown Dartmouth has the space, has the potential and has the capability to work with quality companies to provide the best leasing options now available in metro in our downtown core. Halifax is unique and is working hard to revitalize its downtown to meet a broad range of expectations from the community. Dartmouth is like a diamond in the rough, with great community spirit that is forward-thinking, yet acutely aware of the need to protect our heritage.

We are a great neighbour that complements our cousins across the harbour and can provide the benefits that allow our citizens to live, work and play in a safe and friendly family environment, every day.

Tim Olive Executive Director, Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission