Province Nova Scotia | ||
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Address 1C5, 216-218 Chain Lake Dr, Halifax, NS B3S, Canada Similar Dartmouth Crossing, Mic Mac Mall, Halifax Shopping Centre, Scotia Square, Park Lane | ||
Bayers Lake Business Park is a business park in Halifax, Nova Scotia west of Clayton Park.
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History
The property was developed in the 1960s by the Government of Nova Scotia through the Crown corporation Industrial Estates Limited. The facility was named Bayers Lake Industrial Park and was served by CN Rail's Chester Subdivision rail line running from Halifax to Yarmouth as well as Highway 102 and Highway 103. For the first two decades the industrial park housed various trucking, distribution and manufacturing operations, including Volvo Halifax Assembly.
The industrial park began a gradual transition into a business/retail park in the early 1990s. The first major development occurred when the United States warehouse store chain Price Club (currently a Costco) established a retail store on a westward extension of Lacewood Drive which was called Chain Lakes Drive. Additional big box development followed with the establishment of a Kent Building Supplies, followed by a Kmart (subsequently redeveloped as a Zellers, then a Target, now a Canadian Tire), and an Atlantic Superstore. The popularity of the new retail outlets at Bayers Lake Industrial Park, or "BLIP" as it was popularly referred to by locals, was apparent.
The provincial government transferred ownership and operation of the property to Halifax Regional Municipality in the late 1990s which saw the property renamed to Bayers Lake Business Park. Further development occurred when Empire Theatres selected Bayers Lake for the establishment of the largest theatre multiplex in Atlantic Canada (16 screens + 1 IMAX); the multiplex is currently operated by Cineplex Entertainment. The multiplex development led to an expansion in restaurants and other retail outlets.
Bayers Lake Business Park presently occupies over 2.36 square kilometres (580 acres) and is mostly retail with a declining manufacturing and logistics presence. The property is administered by the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Transportation
The business park is located at the junction of two major highways; Highway 102 and Highway 103. The park is approximately 10 kilometres from Downtown Halifax. An abandoned Canadian National Railway line runs through the park as a rail trail. The park is also serviced by Halifax Transit buses: 21 Timberlea, 23 Timberlea (rush hour only at St. Margarets Bay Rd and Lakelands Blvd), and 52 Crosstown.
Mystery walls
The Bayer's Lake Mystery Walls discovered several years ago during an expansion of the Bayers Lake Business Park. Extending more than 200 metres and measuring as high as two metres, the stone wall is baffling to many historians.