By Andrew Macdonald
Halifax International Airport Authority wants to create a fast food restaurant node and other retail offerings on 17 acres near the existing Irving & Subway operations, says Glen Boone.
Boone is an exec heading up cargo and real estate for the Stanfield International Airport, and once worked for Sobeys Inc.
He says the property is handy Hwy. 102 , where traffic reaches 40,000 vehicles each day, and where the offramp makes it easy to get to the airport.
The airport’s Bell Blvd. is used by 17,500 cars a day, and it makes sense to locate quick-service eateries on the land to service that traffic, plus the 5,500 folk who work in the airport environs, he says.
Last year, the airport processed a record 3.9 million passengers, and the eateries could tap into that robust people activity, too, says Boone.
In 2015, the road was aligned on Bell Blvd, and that now allows for new eateries and even other retail outlets, including a drug store.
“Irving took a block, but there is the opportunity for other development, including standalone restaurants, some quick-service restaurants with drive-thrus,” says Boone.
“They could also look to do a small retail plaza. We could also do professional services, like a massage therapy shop, small pharmacy, a doctor’s office,” Boone tells The Macdonald Notebook.
“Things like that make sense because not only do we have all of those passengers — we had a banner year last year with 3.9 million passengers, then there are the meeters and greeters coming into the airport — what is also very important is that we have over 5,500 working employees at the airport, in the hangars, at IMP, the Air Canada maintenance facility, or at the hotels and Aerotech Park, plus we have 200 licensed taxi and limo drivers,” he says.
“We could generate more services for them.”
The 17-acre site has been branded as Stanfield Landing.
Last year, the airport made a pitch to house IKEA’s 300,000-square-foot retail store, but the self-assembly furniture chain decided to go to Dartmouth Crossing.
For the IKEA pitch, the airport authority offered land in another section, bordering Hwy. 102.
There are no immediate plans for the fast-food eateries to locate on the acreage, especially as the fast-food business is soft.
“There are lots of opportunities,” Boone says. “The more density we put around the airport community,” the more it makes sense for food outlets, and professional service businesses.
Because the airport lands are owned by the federal government, Boone says the airport would sign long-term land leases of up to 60 years with developers and buyers. The airport has hired Colliers International of Halifax to market the lands.
