By Andrew Macdonald
Breaking News: Mills Brothers Building Being Demolished On The Weekend
On Saturday, and Sunday contractors began demolishing a landmark for generations on Spring Garden Road: The Mills Brothers Building.
More buildings on the city block will be knocked down today, Sunday.
In its place, Mickey MacDonald, his brother, Colin MacDonald have formed a development partnership with Danny Chedrawe on a $100 million apartment complex on the trendy street.
The MacDonald brothers are two of the region’s most powerful business titans, and Chedrawe, is one of the city’s leading condo & apartment developers, after he parlayed a 1989 6/49 lotto win of $5.7M into a now 30-year development career. The lotto ticket came from the Chedrawe family’s then corner store in Woodlawn, in Dartmouth.
The MacDonald brothers are co-owners of Clearwater Seafoods, which they are now selling in a $1 billion deal to Membertou First Nations.
They have entered into an agreement to take a 50% equity stake in the planned $100 million property redevelopment on a city block on Spring Garden Road.
The property is the former Mills Brothers clothing emporium, as well as the former home of Ross McNeil’s prominent haberdashery, Duggar’s Menswear.
Both buildings were demolished on Saturday.
A $100 million retail and apartment project is coming this fall to this property, a city block on Spring Garden Road, as Mickey & Colin MacDonald team up with noted developer, Danny Chedrawe.
Beginning later this yearl, work will see redevelopment on Spring Garden Road, Queen & Birmingham streets, Mickey MacDonald has previously told The Notebook.
In February 2020, Mickey MacDonald, who heads Micco, confimred he and his brother have teamed up with Westwood Developments’ Chedrawe and his biz partner Mounir Haddad.
The team is collaborating to develop the 47,000 square foot parcel of land on the Spring Garden Road city block.
Duggar’s has moved across the street to The Doyle, which opened as a residential rental in 2019 – built by Westwood.
The property in question will also see a redevelopment of the former Royal Bank/RBC branch on the street.
“Spring Garden Road is experiencing strong growth, and the partners believe this venture fits well with in terms of location and time to market to coincide with the $20 million public makeover of Spring Garden Road”, says the team.
“The project will begin fall 2020 and is set to be completed in 2023. Estimated at $100 million, the mixed-use development will include 40,000 square feet of retail space, 180 apartment suites, and 160 underground parking spaces”, says Mickey MacDonald.
Condo and apartment developer, Danny Chedrawe, pictured with Pier 21 National Immigration Museum, Marie Chapman. Chedrawe has knocked down a Spring Garden Road Institution: The Mills Brothers Building to make way for a $100M apartment complex. He began his now 30-year-old development firm with a 1989 $5.7M 6/49 lotto win from his family’s then corner store in Woodlawn.
“It will also feature a pedestrian arcade between Queen and Birmingham Streets”, he adds.
“With the Halifax Central Library and The Doyle already recognized for their architecture and use of public space, the intersection of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street will become one of the most recognized intersections in Atlantic Canada,” said Chedrawe.
“Colin and I are looking forward to working with Danny and Mounir in developing an iconic building in the very heart of our City and creating something that will become a piece of our family’s legacy to Halifax,” added Mickey MacDonald.
Westwood, founded by Chedrawe and Haddad, is celebrating its 30th year in business.
MICCO Companies is a diverse portfolio of businesses. Mickey is the largest individual shareholder in Clearwater Seafoods, which Colin MacDonald and John Risley founded 40-years ago, originally selling lobster on the Bedford HWY out of a rented half-ton truck.
It now sells seafood around the globe, from a corporate head office on Bedford HWY.
Its co-founders Colin and Risley are now billionaires, known as serious philanthropists around the city, and the region
Colin MacDonald now also operates HanMac, which he describes as a “family-owned, east-coast based investment firm”.
Mickey MacDonald paid $7 million in 2007 to buy the city block from Mills Brothers clothiers, Jane & Ian MacLellan.
Last winter, Mickey told The Notebook he did the original deal for a long term property redevelopment. The clothing store, which was famous across the Maritimes is now defunct.
Danny Chedrawe built this apartment project, The Doyle on Spring Garden Road.
When it operated, the MacLellan’s use to fly provincial flags from the Maritimes at the storefront, because its discriminating customers came from all over the region.
One of the store’s most frequent customers was Jean Hadley Graham, always dressed very fashionably, and late wife of the late Senator Al Graham, and mother to another noted developer, David Graham.
At one point in recent years, Mickey MacDonald had engaged in talks with Philip Fraser & Rob Richardson’s Killam Apartment REIT to jointly redevelop the city block – but those talks failed to produce a development contract.
“It’s an exciting project for us”, says Mickey of his plan with Chedrawe.
Question: Why have you teamed up with Chedrawe & Haddad?
“Danny and I have been talking back and forth over a number of years on this project – it was just a matter of time to put a deal together”, Mickey tells The Notebook.
“Danny is a great developer. He’s a good human being, and I like his mannerisms and values. I think we have a lot in common with strong family values – he’s a great guy to do business with”.
“We are going to be 50-50 partners”.
Justin Trudeau is the first PM with a tattoo – which is of an Indigenous origin. He is boxing in this 2015 file photo with Mickey MacDonald.
Chedrawe has committed hundreds of millions of dollars building office, condo and apartment developments over the last 20-years on Spring Garden Road.
“They have heavy investments across Halifax. They are great believers in the city”, Mickey tells me.
He built Garden Crest, in previous years – one of the city’s best condo and rental projects, overlooking the Public Gardens.
This is not the first time, Mickey has gone into property development. Back in the 1990s, he developed a high-end subdivision at Kearney Lake, which is home to many mansions, on the outskirts of Halifax.
