Council votes to sell St. Pat’s-Alexandra to developer

HRM Council has voted again to sell the former St. Pats-Alexandra school property to a developer.

Politicians voted 13-9 on Tuesday afternoon to make the sale.

Developer Joe Metlege, president of the firm that was originally awarded the former school property, told News 95.7 he would take the city to court if the sale fell through.

“We have still almost $300,000 that the city is holding and we had to pass on several other business opoprtunities after we had originally been awarded the site,” he said before the meeting at City Hall.

Metlege’s company, Jono Developments, won the bidding process for the school and council approved the sale in early December.

However, the decision prompted a furious outcry from north-end residents, who wanted the space handed over to community groups. Community leaders claimed the city had not followed its own policies for disposing of surplus property, leading council to put the sale on hold earlier this month.

Now, city staff has submitted a report to council confirming the policy was not followed. The report offers four options for proceeding, ranging from honouring the deal with Jono Developments to starting the sale process over from square one.

Metlege has said he is open to accommodating the community in his plans for a mixed residential and commercial development on the site. He said he has tried to reach out to the community groups that have been most vocal through the process.

“Time and time again they have rejected our calls and refused to deal with us,” said Metlege.

He says he would designate up to 10 per cent of the residential space for affordable housing and up to 10 per cent of the commercial area for community or non-profit use.