Nova Scotia's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal issued a tender Tuesday for the construction of a new parking garage as part of the QEII hospital redevelopment project.

The parkade will have up to 900 spaces and will be built south of the Museum of Natural History on Summer Street. The parking garage will replace the hospital's Robie Street parkade.

The tender documents also indicate a new power plant for the Halifax Infirmary will be constructed on the other side of the museum at the corner of Summer Street and Bell Road.

Halifax Coun. Waye Mason has raised concerns about the project's impact on the Halifax Common.

However, provincial officials insist only a small portion of land owned by the city — approximately 0.20 hectares — is needed and won't be built on recreational space, the province said in a news release.

This schematic of the proposed parkade, included in the tender issued on Jan. 28, 2020, shows how it would border the existing bleachers for the Wanderers Grounds and a new riding area for the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers. (Province of Nova Scotia)

Drawings included in the tender show a sliver of land currently used as paddocks for horses by the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers.

Angie Holt, executive director and head coach, said she's concerned the paddock will be affected.

"It looks like it's reducing our size [and] adding an odd shape to our ring that is not necessarily going to be usable," Holt said, adding the paddock must be a certain size and shape to exercise the horses, teach riding lessons and perform certain shows.

Holt said the Lancers weren't consulted about the tender, but she's willing to meet with the province to discuss how to properly reconfigure the paddock if necessary.

The company that is awarded the project will be required to minimize the impact to the Halifax Wanderers stadium and consult with the groups using the adjacent land.

This map was issued by the Nova Scotia government in a news release on Jan. 28, 2020. It shows where the requested Halifax Regional Municipality land is in relation to the proposed parkade. (Province of Nova Scotia)

The province said there has been ongoing discussions with the municipality since April 2019 and the matter will soon be referred to Halifax regional council.

Mason suggested the hospital's parking needs could be accommodated by building a parking facility that would be part of the hospital expansion on the former Queen Elizabeth High School land.

The province said there will be underground parking at the new inpatient cancer centre, but they say a parking study concluded a total of 2,700 spaces are required. Once the expansion of the infirmary site is completed, the Centennial and Victoria buildings at the Victoria General site will be closed.

Every day, 14,000 people visit the QEII Health Sciences Centre, with 40 per cent of people travelling from outside the municipality.

The tender closes on March 5. The Transportation Department expects parkade construction to begin this spring and be completed by March 2021.

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