Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin May
The easy solution was downzoning the site by the Harbour East Community council and this could have been done any time, including the more than 2 years since the 2016 municipal election. Moaning about the old Dartmouth Plan is a waste of time. Swift action to downzone would have been the best fix.
A 15 storey hotel will be expensive and I would not be shocked to discover that foreign money is involved in the project. It is a great location for a hotel with easy access to highways and downtown and we need the taxes to pay for bike lanes. The only way to stop the proposal is through expropriation and that would require the support of Mayor Savage.
Sales at The Avery are s....l....o....w only 16 of 69 units sold.
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Keep in mind that the process for this site started 7 years ago, when Gloria torpedoed it early in the process. I was amazed the developer put up with the treatment they got from HRM throughout. So I think HRM got what they deserved here for putting him through this. And of course the Centre Plan would have wiped out any opportunity to make money at this site, so it isn't hugely surprising.
I drove past the Avery on the weekend and noticed the lack of occupancy. All of the street-level retail remains vacant - not a surprise as that stretch of Alderney is not a pedestrian street in any way, shape or form, so I would expect that it will remain empty for a long time - and the residential units seemed sparsely occupied as well. I don't know if it is a price issue or not, as I thought the units looked good and were nicely finished. Unfortunately DT Dartmouth still has quite a ways to go, and The Avery is on the very edge of what little commercial retail that DT has, a bit of a walk to lower Portland St.