Halifax Nova Scotia’s growing population, revitalization, and retail growth are continuously transforming the city. Once known for its quieter pace, it is now seeing rapid growth that is reshaping its retail landscape. New construction projects and a growing population are pushing the retail market to adapt, says Mathew Houston, vice president at CBRE.
“The biggest driver of growth that we have seen is population. When I moved to Halifax 15 years ago, the population was about 350,000 people – and now it is over 500,000. We have seen a lot of immigration growth and a lot of growth on the peninsula in particular, and in some of the main student cores,” says Mathew Houston.
The growing population is forcing retail businesses to expand, creating challenges for infrastructure and accessibility.

Revitalization of Spring Garden Road
Houston says one of the most significant transformations in Halifax’s retail landscape has been the revitalization of Spring Garden Road. For years, Spring Garden Road has been the heart of retail in downtown Halifax, but Houston says it went through a decline as fashion retailers moved away but is now back up to speed.
“There was a period in time where the street kind of changed. It moved away from fashion and more into other things. The city extended sidewalks, cleaned up the area, and for two to three years there were growing paints, but now Spring Garden is coming back. Some international retailers are on the street now and we have more coming. The rents are increasing, and it is becoming a kind of a high-profile street again.”
Revitalization extends beyond Spring Garden Road to other streets, like Brenton Street, where retail developments are also increasing.
Challenges of accessibility and infrastructure

As Halifax continues to grow, so do the challenges of its downtown core. While revitalization efforts have attracted more people and retailers to the city, issues with parking and infrastructure have risen. Houston says residents are still heavily relying on cars to get around the city and is making it difficult to make the city pedestrian friendly, which would be beneficial for the community.
“Parking and bike lanes are creating some challenges. The bike lanes are taking away from parking upfront, so people can’t park their cars and jump into retail stores.”
One of the most recent experiments, turning Spring Garden Road into a walking and bus-only street failed.
“For three days last year, they shut it down, and they had it so that it was only for buses. They had police manning the entrance on South Park Street, and basically it just caused too many traffic jams and people were not listening. So after three days, they changed it back. A lot of retailers didn’t like it as it just caused issues in terms of accessibility to their stores.”

Encouraging public transit, biking, and walking

Houston says the main goal for the city is to encourage more people to use public transit, biking, and walking to get around the city, which will make the city more pedestrian friendly. The city is focusing on improving the alternatives, like adding bus lanes and bike lanes, even though this has caused challenges for drivers and retailers who rely on easy parking access.
“We are very much vehicle-centric, and when they cut down traffic or cut down accessibility from cars coming from the outskirts of the city, people complain all the time as they drive downtown as it was easier before to get downtown and find parking. It is a nice idea, but I don’t think our city is there yet. We are very vehicle centred, and taking away accessibility from cars has been difficult.”
University influence and residential expansion

Halifax’s status as a university city plays a significant role in shaping the retail landscape. With three major universities – Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of King’s College – the growing population of students has had an impact on both retail demand and residential development.
However, with the increase of students and residents to the area, Houston says the demand for housing is also on the rise and has led to skyrocketing rents and a vacancy rate of less than one per cent.
“The lack of housing available is creating challenges for students and young professionals. Their vacancy rates are less than one per cent and the cost of living in terms of renting apartments has continued to increase astronomically over the last five years.”
Suburban expansion and drive-through retail
Halifax’s downtown core is not the only area seeing revitalization, the city’s suburbs are also experiencing significant growth. With the high costs of construction and limited space in the city, retailers are starting to look beyond the city centre and focus on suburban areas.
Houston says the Halifax Regional Municipality have become prime targets for retail developments, especially for quick-service restaurants that rely on drive-through models.
“There is a huge demand for anything in suburban cores to do drive-through pad sites. But the cost of construction is so high that the rents that these landlords need to justify building a pad site are really high as well. It is making it challenging for any kind of national food and beverage operators to open drive-throughs,”
Despite the high costs, Houston says areas like West Bedford have seen rapid development, with commercial and retail spaces being leased out quickly: “West Bedford boomed, and any commercial space or retail space available there has been snapped up.”
Revitalization of downtown and the waterfront

As the city continues to grow, so does the waterfront as developers are investing heavily in creating a more vibrant and accessible waterfront. Visitors can expect a blend of retail, residential, and recreational spaces to meet the needs of residents.
The city has extended the boardwalk, offering pedestrians to enjoy more of the views, shops, and restaurants: The waterfront is crazy right now, you can’t just walk into a restaurant anymore, you usually have to make a reservation.”
Major projects such as the Queen’s Marque and new developments by Southwest Properties, are contributing to the waterfront’s transformation. Houston says these projects include high-end residential units, commercial spaces, and more restaurants – all bringing in locals and tourists.
The Queen’s Marque has been open now for three years and Houston says the Southwest Properties project on the waterfront is almost completed: “The next one that is just finalizing is by Southwest Properties … an apartment building on the water with ground-floor commercial restaurants and bars.”
Houston says developers are planning more waterfront projects, with finalization expected at a later date.
Looking ahead – a population of one million by 2050

The city’s growing population will continue to increase demand on retail and housing, while placing additional pressure on infrastructure and services. Although the city is transforming into a bigger and better city, from the revitalization of downtown streets like Spring Garden Road to the expansion of suburban retail areas, and expansion of the waterfront – it doesn’t come without challenges.
Looking ahead, Houston says the city’s success will depend on its ability to maintain balance while continuing to invest in infrastructure, public transit, and housing.
“We are getting between 20,000 to 25,000 people every year. The population is not slowing down … We are seeing a lot of immigration and a lot of growth in the peninsula. The city definitely needs to build a lot faster. It seems like they will be in the next five or seven years, but I feel like even that won’t be enough for our population. Our projection is that Halifax could reach a population of a million by 2050.”
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