1st eviction notices issued at 1,000-tenant housing complex as new owners plan to redevelop

For more than 1,000 tenants in a close-knit housing complex in Dartmouth, N.S., many of whom have lived in the community for years, the future is uncertain.

Earlier this week, some tenants in Ocean Breeze Village, a 397-unit development nestled in the woods near the MacKay Bridge, received letters saying their buildings are set to be demolished. A form known as a DR-5 was attached — an agreement to terminate tenancy for demolition, repairs or renovations. 

Residents of Ocean Breeze say they're afraid, confused and angry about the notices, which say those units that are set to be demolished next year to make way for redevelopment must be vacated by the end of May 2024.

"I am very fearful that this whole situation is forcing us into a very toxic, dysfunctional housing market," said Celine Porcheron, a resident of the community since 2017. 

The real estate group that plans to redevelop the site and increase housing density said the long-term lease tenants who must leave their units will be offered similar apartments elsewhere in the complex for the same rents.

The group, Basin Heights Community Partnership LP, said in a statement that based on projected vacancies at Ocean Breeze it is confident there will be enough units for those residents to move into.

But several residents said they don't know where so many vacant units will be found. And they worry that future phases of the redevelopment covering the rest of the complex will mean tenants will have to move again, and eventually be forced to find somewhere new to live in a city with skyrocketing rents and low vacancy rates. 

Porcheron, who has not yet received an eviction notice, said many of the residents are low income. According to tenants, the rents in the community range from around $875 to $1,400 a month. 

"I'm a generational resident," Porcheron said. "I moved here seven years ago, my daughter moved here 10 years ago and I watched my grandchildren growing up here. People have lived here a lot longer than me as well. We're not going to be able to repeat that."

Three-phased redevelopment

In July 2022, Ocean Breeze residents were told the property had been purchased by Basin Heights Community Partnership LP. It includes Cresco, Fares & Co. Development and T & H Group Developments.

At the time, the group said it planned to "reimagine" the property. Recently, the plans have become more clear. 

A website created for residents shows three phases of redevelopment, with construction beginning in 2024. Basin Heights Community Partnership told CBC News in an email that 83 units across 14 buildings will be impacted by the first phases.

Phase 2, according to the website, will likely range from townhouses to mixed-use high-rises, and will include at least 495 units. Another section is labelled as Phase 3.

The rest of the community is listed as "future phases" on the website. The group told CBC no timeline has been established for the complete redevelopment. 

The notices issued this week tell residents their leases will terminate on May 31, 2024. It gives them two options: relocate to a new unit in the community with the same rent, with moving expenses covered up to $1,500; or leave Ocean Breeze Village and take three months' rent and $3,500 as compensation.

Basin Heights Community Partnership told CBC News the redevelopment will "provide significant housing density." 

"While we are committed to adding much-needed housing to the community, we are also committed to doing things fairly, working with existing long-term residents of Ocean Breeze Village, and providing residents with information to ensure they know current plans, timelines, and their housing options so that they can make the best decision for their situation," a spokesperson said in a statement. 

'Nowhere for folks to go': local MLA 

Susan Leblanc, the NDP MLA for the area, said the notices are not a surprise, but it is "a bad situation".

"My concern is that in the current climate that we're in, any displacement of people is a problem," Leblanc said in an interview Thursday. "Because the fact is that right now, there is nowhere for folks to go."

Leblanc said she worries if people leave, they'll be forced to sign fixed-term leases elsewhere and pay much higher rents. 

"If we had a good supply of affordable, quality housing in Nova Scotia, this wouldn't be as much of an issue," she said. 

Tia Cook, a resident of the community since 2015, said she hasn't received a notice yet, but she worries she's next. 

"I've been nervous since they told me that there were new owners," Cook said. "I was one of the first people to speak up and say, 'You know what, I'm gonna get loud ... because this is one of the only places I can afford to live.'"

Cook and two roommates currently split the $1,215 rent for a four-bedroom unit. She worries the new rental rates will be out of reach. 

Basin Heights Community Partnership said it hopes long-term tenants will be able to stay in the community for the entire redevelopment, and is working with government to develop plans for affordable housing options within the community.

"We are early in our discussions and will continue to work with the residents, various levels of government and community agencies to develop plans for non-market housing options," the group's spokesperson said. 

Leblanc said she has been speaking with Ocean Breeze residents, as well as the owners of the property and the provincial government. 

"We need to make sure that the provincial and federal governments are paying attention to making sure ... that there are some affordable units there," she said.

"There are programs available that can be made use of, but all levels of government need to be working with the community and with the developers to make sure that that is happening for those folks."

Though Porcheron and Cook haven't yet gotten notice to leave, they feel for their neighbours and worry about what's to come. 

"I think it's a mistake," Porcheron said. "I think it's going to snowball into something that I don't believe we're ready for."