Halifax launches Cogswell District project, but end date far down the road

The $122.6-million project will include cycling lanes, multi-use trails, new parks and open spaces, a transit hub and a central urban square.

Halifax officially launched its Cogswell District project on Tuesday, which is being billed as “the biggest city-building project in the history of Halifax.”

The project will convert 16 acres of road infrastructure, where the Cogswell Interchange is located, into a mixed-use neighbourhood, the city said in a release.

The project will involve extending the entrance of the downtown area northward and creating development blocks capable of supporting new residential and commercial developments for 2,500 people.

“It will connect the vibrant downtown region to the historic north end and the picturesque waterfront – creating a stronger, more inclusive network of communities,” said the municipality’s chief administrative officer Jacques Dubé.

The $122.6-million project will include cycling lanes, multi-use trails, new parks and open spaces, a transit hub, and a central urban square to “transform this traffic-centric area into a livable pedestrian friendly area for people to live, work, and play.”

The release said the project “has the potential to be primarily self-funded in the long term once construction is over and the redevelopment of the area is completed.”

“The sale of land, utility cost sharing, and the subsequent property taxes will help off-set the front-end investment and generate long-term recurring revenue for the municipality,” it said.

The Cogswell Interchange was built in the 1960s to accommodate a planned waterfront freeway that was never built. There has been talk of tearing down and redeveloping the interchange for decades.