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About the Gray Arena Site
The Gray Arena was originally constructed in 1972 as an ice arena on the corner of Monique Avenue and Farthington Place in Dartmouth North. The 4.7 acre site is currently zoned Park & Community Facility (PCF) in the Regional Centre Land Use By-lawand is surrounded by mainly lands zoned Higher Order Residential 1 (HR-1) and Established Residential 3 (ER-3). Developments surrounding the Gray Arena Site include housing ranging from single detached homes to medium density multi-unit buildings up to 5 storeys. In addition to theContinue reading
About the Gray Arena Site
The Gray Arena was originally constructed in 1972 as an ice arena on the corner of Monique Avenue and Farthington Place in Dartmouth North. The 4.7 acre site is currently zoned Park & Community Facility (PCF) in the Regional Centre Land Use By-lawand is surrounded by mainly lands zoned Higher Order Residential 1 (HR-1) and Established Residential 3 (ER-3). Developments surrounding the Gray Arena Site include housing ranging from single detached homes to medium density multi-unit buildings up to 5 storeys. In addition to the outdoor play and naturalized areas at Gray Arena, the neighbourhood benefits from Albro Lake Park and trail, Pinehill Lookoff Park, Brule Street Park and John Martin Junior High School Park. Within the neighbourhood, however,there are no doctor’s offices or grocery stores and few commercial establishments for personal services, shopping or jobs.
Currently, the facility is used as a dry arena; the ice has been taken out but the same sized surface remains for sporting and recreational uses such as pickle ball, lacrosse and skateboarding. The site surrounding the Arena is a combination of parking, open space, playground, decommissioned tennis courts and wooded areas.
Re-development Program
In May of 2022, Council directed HRM staff to conduct a re-development program that should include the following for the Gray Arena Site:
consideration of the connectivity of the Site, potential land uses, transportation network, recreation facilities, parks and open spaces and other community needs/context;
assessment to determine adaptive re-use potential or demolition of the existing Arena facility;
review of the urban design and architectural context of the neighbourhood, specifics of the site, and development of design guidelines;
additional consultation and expansion on the engagement findings to further identify community needs, interests, and potential partners; and
identification of options for Council to consider outlining the costs, planning considerations, municipal role, and tenure partnerships required.
A project timeline has been provided below that outlines the details regarding Council's decision to implement a re-development program for the Gray Arena Site:
February 12th, 2019 -Municipal staff went to Council with a recommendation to proceed with market sale, however the recommendation was amended to suspend moving forward with the sale to allow for comprehensive engagement and community vision to inform Council’s next steps.
June & July, 2019-Municipal staff conducted a public engagement program. Over 1,200 residents were consulted in a community engagement surrounding ideas for the future use of the Gray Arena site. Results of this public engagement program included the following:
There was significant interest in the continued use and re-development of this part of their community.Of 1,150 respondents, 42 per cent of ideas generated were in favour of a recreation or community facility and 30 per cent were in favour of outdoor space for enjoying nature and recreational activities.
The neighbourhood has a decent amount of housing, although it is not necessarily quality housing.
Respondents noted that what the community is missing is a place forcommunity to gather and enjoy the outdoors.
In terms of programming, community members expressed interest in safe space for youth, space to enjoy nature and outdoor activities, recreation and community gathering space, culturally appropriate programming and low cost or free access.
May 31st, 2022 - HRM Regional Councilremoved the property from the surplus inventory, and since then it has been used as a pilot project for an indoor, dry floor recreation programming space. HRM Regional Council recommended a re-development program be undertaken.
Proposed Re-development Options
As part of the objectives of the re-development program, Municipal staff and FBM have created 4 re-development options for the Gray Arena Site. It should be noted that these re-development options do not show specific detailed designs and are intended to illustrate preliminary development concepts and potential land use by-law and zoning changes to the Gray Arena Site. These 4 re-development options are provided below:
Option 1:
Update the Gray Arena to meet current Building andEnergy Codes and Accessibility Standards.
Landscape improvements.
Option 2:
Update the Gray Arena to meet Building and Energy Codes and Accessibility Standards.
Landscaping improvements.
Add on to the Gray Arena to provide more community program space.
Option 3:
Update the Gray Arena to meet current Building and Energy Codes and Accessibility Standards.
Add on to the Gray Arena to provide more community program space.
Landscape Improvements.
Subdivide the lot to provide a residential development with potential for commercial uses.
Option 4:
Demolish the Gray Arena.
Subdivide the entire Gray Arena Site to create several residential development opportunities with the potential for commercial uses.
For more information regarding the proposed re-development options and the Gray Arena Site project, please see the Background Information Report.
Gray Arena Site Survey - Round 2
Municipal staff are asking for your feedback regarding the potential re-development of the Gray Arena Site and the 4 proposed re-development options. To complete the survey, please click the following link:
