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."

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.