Council to mull South Park tower print this article
STÉPHANE MASSINON
A proposed 19-storey, $30-million tower will go before Halifax regional council today.
The building - which is slated to feature 80 condos, two floors of commercial space and two floors of underground parking at South Park Street and Brenton Place - still needs to be approved by council at a later date.
Developer Wadih Fares, president of WM Fares Group, said the project represents the largest single building the company has done in Halifax.
"We're excited about it, and I hope that the remainder of the process will be short and we can get going and under construction by the spring of 2008," Fares said.
WM Fares is currently developing the Mount Royale neighbourhood off Dunbrack Street.
If it goes ahead at council today, there will be opportunity for public input.
Downtown Halifax Coun. Dawn Sloane couldn't say much about the project.
"I want it to go to a public hearing so we can get comments from the public," Sloane said.
"There's two old houses and they're falling to ruin; it's right there," she said of the location.
Fares said the project has been formulated with city staff for a year-and-a-half.
"I don't mind the process to go through what you go through. It takes longer than it really should. However, it's good for us; it's good for the city," Fares said.
In a report to councillors, city staff members say the proposal fits with the city's plans for the area.
"The building relates well to the early principles that have been expressed through the HRM by Design study," the report reads.
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