Background

Imagine Bloomfield is a volunteer run organization that has worked for nine years to ensure community engagement with and support for multi-purpose redevelopment of the Bloomfield Centre. Our values are exemplified by those included in the Bloomfield Master Plan, which was passed unanimously by HRM Council in June 2008. We are connected to and have learned from the North End community, the past and current tenants and users of the Bloomfield Centre, as well as leading edge collaborative developments in Canada. 

The Bloomfield Centre redevelopment is a game changer for community involvement in the repurposing of public space. It has already set many precedents in HRM for community led consultation, community visioning, collaboration and partnership with municipal government, and a creative and improved Request for Proposals (RFP) process. As a result, this project has set a high bar for redevelopment of public space that addresses genuine community needs.

The vision for the Bloomfield redevelopment process was one that embodied and resulted in excellence. The process and the outcome have not been about money, but reinvesting in a truly progressive vision for development in HRM and Nova Scotia.

Progress

Imagine Bloomfield is happy to see the process move forward. It really is about time. We are excited to know that key elements of the Master Plan  are being included. These elements include mixed development with commitment to preserve the heritage buildings on the site, that new buildings achieve LEED gold standard, a good mix of affordable housing, and commitment to community and cultural objectives. Most importantly, we are pleased to know that Imagine Bloomfield will continue to play a key role in the project representing the community.

Concerns

Our primary concern is that the recommended proponent scored only 18 out of 35 (51%) for their understanding of the vision and objectives for the site and for the quality of the proposed development plan, program and design concept. (Figure 1). We find the lack of understanding of the vision very surprising considering that the vision was clearly outlined in the RFP document and that Imagine Bloomfield offered to meet with all proponents to offer our assistance. While Imagine Bloomfield was included in all four of the shortlisted developers’ proposals, there was a considerable range of the level of inclusion, from a brief meeting to full engagement in the proposal development and design process. Possibly because they did not consult in any meaningful way with Imagine Bloomfield, the Nova Scotia Housing Development Corporation (NSHDC) scored considerably lower than the other developers on three of the four criteria. The NSHDC scored higher than the other developers on the financial aspect of the proposal only.

 Figure 1. Comparison of responses to the Bloomfield RFP

Our view is that the maximum score of  50% for the  financial component should be based on maximum reinvestment in the site as well as the purchase price. We are concerned that this is not reflected in the highest scoring proposal, particularly as the 2010 Harrison / Mueke Report recommended 100% purchase price reinvestment in the site.

Imagine Bloomfield is very supportive of affordable housing, however we are concerned about the proposed 478 residential units. These units average only  ~ 654 sq feet  (380,900 sq feet, less 20,000 for community / cultural space, less 10,000 for commercial, less 10% for common space). We feel strongly that the redevelopment must include units that accommodate families. We advocated early on in the process for the province to directly partner with a private developer who could provide the construction and design expertise to ensure that this development meets the needs of families in our community. Units that average only 654 sq feet do not meet those needs. The proponent must have some ideas for creative housing that we are not privy to at this time. We need to know more details about the proposed design.

Request to HRM Council

Imagine Bloomfield requests that HRM Council delay the vote until the following occurs:

• The recommended proponent meet with Imagine Bloomfield and fully explain all uncertainties;
• Partnership between NSHDC and the private sector be explored;
• The disqualification of Daniels Corp. be explained; and
• A breakdown of financial scoring be made public, to ensure transparency and accountability. This should include a breakdown of the elements of the scoring to reflect the HRM description of how it was scored. We are specifically concerned about how the provincial proposal scored 90% on financials, when the criteria include key areas that were scored low under the other elements:
  • Purchase price
  • Terms and conditions of offer and sale
  • Guaranteed performance to implement the work
  • Creativity and feasibility of financial approach
  • Viable governance models for ownership and operation of community and cultural space
  • Closing date

Moving Forward

The Bloomfield redevelopment is very exciting for Halifax. Imagine Bloomfield will continue to work towards the best possible outcome: maximum implementation of the Master Plan along with community engagement and support.

Imagine Bloomfield has also been developing a business and governance plan in anticipation of a successful proponent. We hope to work with the successful proponent in ensuring that all existing tenants and projects currently operating out of the Bloomfield Centre are given assurances that they will be included in the redevelopment and transitioned appropriately, preferably on site. We will be reaching out to all those who responded to our April 2012 needs assessment as well as all of our supporters over the years. We have high hopes for the implementation of the Master Plan and will continue our work to ensure a level of excellence that has yet to be exemplified in development in HRM.

This statement was drafted by and supported by the Imagine Bloomfield Board of Directors.

For more information, please contact imaginebloomfield@gmail.com.

>>UPCOMING EVENTS<<

* In Full Bloom Community Festival June 3rd // 1-5pm
Join us for an incredible afternoon of good tastes, sights, rhythms, and lots of opportunities to use your hands to make something beautiful. Let’s show what a place can look like where we live, work, play, and thrive!

Bring your offering to the festival:
- Marketplace: do you want to sell things (food/plants/crafts/other)? showcase or demonstrate your services?
- Workshops: offer a workshop in art, circus, music, dance, puppet-making, place-making…anything you would like to share.
- Performance: Music / Theatre / Live Art – bring your talents to the community!

For table bookings, please visit http://infullbloom.eventbrite.ca/ for registration.

We are looking for lots of volunteers for this event too.

Let’s us know if you would like to help out: imaginebloomfield@gmail.com

———–

AGM
Public Presentation of Our Survey Results & Learning from Others in Creative Development

Please join us on June 6th, 2012 from 6-9pm at the Bloomfield Centre.

We will have our Annual General Meeting from 6-6:30pm, followed by a presentation of examples of creative development and the results of our survey which we hope influences the next steps in the HRM process of implementing the Bloomfield Master Plan. We will also have an open discussion of how the community can be involved in that implementation. All welcome and encouraged to attend!

Imagine Bloomfield Seeking Partners and Tenants for Bloomfield Site

For Immediate Release, April 18 2012

HALIFAX – Over the past six years, Halifax has been engaged in developing a collective vision for the Bloomfield Centre and property located on two city blocks in the North End. In 2008, HRM Council unanimously approved a master plan for the property and the community it supports, for the development of a mixed-use multi-purpose community-cultural hub where people can live, work and play.

Imagine Bloomfield formed as a non-profit society in 2004 to ensure that the Bloomfield Centre and its surrounding land was developed with the community in mind, and to set the stage for a new type of development in Halifax. HRM staff is going to issue an RFP this spring for the redevelopment of the site. The society is working with the city and other levels of government on the next phases of the development and part of that work is developing a full list of potential tenants from the non-profit, commercial and housing sector.

“We conducted our first “needs assessment” in 2009,” says Adam Barnett, community outreach facilitator for Imagine Bloomfield. “We were excited by the response from over 60 organizations and businesses who were interested in locating at the Bloomfield Centre. We’re updating and expanding that research now, as part of developing a plan for the future use of the property, and in the first week the responses have been amazing.”

Through funding from the Voluntary Sector Trust, Imagine Bloomfield is reaching out in particular to non-profit and social enterprise organizations in order to facilitate synergies between like-minded groups.

“We’ve seen this type of development flourish in other areas,” says Susanna Fuller, co-Chair of the Imagine Bloomfield board of directors. “We have learned from initiatives such as the Evergreen Brickworks, Centre for Social Innovation, 401 Richmond and the Wychwood Art Barns as well as the redevelopment of Regent Park in Toronto, that a key element of success in innovative developments is the right partnerships.”

The survey is open until the end of April and Imagine Bloomfield is seeking participation from a broad sector of interests. The survey can be found at www.imaginebloomfield.ca.

Imagine Bloomfield, a non-profit community group in its sixth year of activity, is taking this opportunity to collect data on community needs to contribute to the RFP and re-ignite community support. These efforts will ensure the purchaser of the Bloomfield property shares the vision and has the data to make it work.

For more information http://imaginebloomfield.ca/

Adam Barnett, Imagine Bloomfield Community Outreach Facilitator

902.225.4714 imaginebloomfield@gmail.com

Susanna Fuller, Co-Chair Imagine Bloomfield 483-5033 (c) or 453-9228 (h) susannadfuller@gmail.com

It has been a couple of weeks since we have launched the online surveys. So far we have had 78 people, organizations, non-profits, artists, cultural groups, and businesses fill them out. This is fantastic! It shows that there is great interest and support for the Bloomfield Centre.

But we are looking for more!

If you know of anyone that might have an interest in being at the Bloomfield Centre in its next stage of redevelopment, in any capacity, please pass this along. We appreciate whatever help you can provide.

Tenancy & Partnership Surveys

Once again, groups that we are looking for are:

Non-Profits

Small Business

Housing

Social Enterprise

Artists / Musicians / Inventors

Community Groups

Artist Groups

Cultural Workers 

Thank you so much! Please be in touch if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

Adam Barnett
Outreach Community Facilitator

902.225.4714
gadambarnett@hotmail.com

Imagine Bloomfield conducted their first “needs assessment” in 2009-2010. Their work helped to identify potential tenants for the buildings and possible development partners. We are now in the process of updating that assessment and building further capacity.

This needs assessment is for all of the following:

Non-Profits

Small Business

Housing

Social Enterprise

Artists / Musicians / Inventors

Community Groups

Artist Groups

Cultural Workers 

** It is important that this needs assessment is up to date and as detailed as possible in order for it to have full impact on the decision making process. **

THE REQUEST:

We are hoping you are willing to participate in this survey. The information gathered is for revised version of our needs assessment. Many have expressed interest in being at the Bloomfield Centre as a tenant, renting meeting space, developing housing, having an artist studio, and more. This is an important step aligning possible tenants with the Bloomfield Master Plan to ensure that the site is developed in the best possible manner.

We have developed an online version of our surveys to make them as accessible as possible. This is fairly timely…and we would appreciate you filling this out ASAP (by the end of April is our goal to have all of these complete). It will only take 5-10 minutes.

Please follow this link to the surveys!  

Please forward this on to any individual, business, or group who might be interested in helping out in this exciting next stage of the Bloomfield Centre.

The Imagine Bloomfield Team

Imagine Bloomfield Update Winter / Spring 2012

Dear Friends, Members, and Interested citizens of HRM

It has been awhile since Imagine Bloomfield sent out an update of our activities and the status of our efforts to start implementing the Bloomfield Master Plan that was passed by HRM Council in 2008. This year marks eight years of Imagine Bloomfield’s work to create a community vision for redevelopment, and arguably, the timing has never been more urgent or the opportunities greater. Halifax’s North End is transforming and more than ever we see the need to ensure that we have community spaces, affordable housing, green building practices, and places for non-profits and social enterprises to flourish.

Here are a few highlights to let you know of the progress that has been made to date:

• HRM commissioned an implementation plan that was completed in December 2010. This implementation plan reviewed best practices in community based development and operation of arts, culture, and non-profit centres. It also explored various housing models and options.

• We held a grand opening of our community greenhouse in October of 2011 and are very thankful for our partnership with the Ecology Action Centre and our supporters, which include: NS Environment, HRM, Councillors Watts and Blumenthal, Eye Candy Signs, Full Cycle Builders, and iNova Credit Union. The greenhouse is tended by five members of the community and has been producing amazing amounts of food all winter! 


• In January 2012, Imagine Bloomfield made a trip to Toronto where co-chair Susanna Fuller visited several interesting developments that in many ways mirror the vision for Bloomfield. These developments included 401 Richmond, Evergreen Brickworks, 215 Spadina (home of the Centre for Social Innovation), Regent Park, a redevelopment of low income housing that includes a triple bottom line, and finally the Wychwood Arts Barns run by Artscape, who Imagine Bloomfield brought to HRM in 2009 for a Creative Space Making workshop.

• We are extremely excited to have hired Co*Lab: Rachel Derrah, Sophia Horwitz, and Greg Woolner to help us with engaging the public, all of you, in the coming months on some exciting events at the Bloomfield Centre. We also welcome Adam Barnett who will be working closely with Co*Lab in updating our 2010 Needs Assessment and further identifying and building capacity with potential tenants at a redeveloped Bloomfield. Adam will be in touch with many of you in the next few weeks.

• Bloomfield is slated to go out to a Request for Proposals in April 2012, as stated at the January 7th Community Council meeting. While we still expect this to happen, we are also exploring other avenues for finding the right partners and developers for the site.

Thank you for those of you who renewed your Imagine Bloomfield membership. We greatly appreciate the support and will need your membership more than ever in the coming months. If you have not renewed your membership, please see our website and download the membership form.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always looking for volunteers and public support.

Join us on Facebook and follow us on twitter @imaginebloomfld. Contact us by email at imaginebloomfield@gmail.com.

We hope to see many of you at some of the events we have planned in the coming months!

We look forward to what 2012 will bring us, and to hope to finally have the Bloomfield Centre set on a path to become something great – for the North End, for HRM, and for Nova Scotia.