Site for West Harbour condo project being cleared
https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8...being-cleared/
Work crews have begun cleaning debris from the site of a former North End wrecking yard to make way for a major condominium project at the west harbour.
Raquel Rakovac, president of the company spearheading the Tiffany Square Condominiums project, says workers with Reimar Construction are "getting rid of some of the junk that's been on the property" to prepare the site for the planned eight-storey, 200-unit building.
The project will also require soil remediation.
"Before soil can be legally removed or cleaned, the contractor need approvals from the City of Hamilton that haven't been granted yet," said Lindsay Davidson, a Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change spokesperson.
A ministry officer visited the site Feb. 16 to discuss activities with Reimar, Davidson said.
"The work on-site is related to the removal of debris from the previous scrap yard operation and no soil has been excavated or removed from the site."
Another issue is a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the City of Hamilton that Rakovac says is ongoing.
"It's being worked through at the moment. We are not able to comment too much at this moment, but it is looking positive," she said.
The lawsuit launched in 2012 alleges, among other things, the developer has been "the victim of a flawed planning process" and suffered "substantial damages from the delay in the development of its lands."
An ongoing lawsuit would mean the developer would effectively be ineligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in municipal tax and development charge relief.
Tiffany Square Condominiums at West Harbour held a launch party in June 2015 and has been collecting reservations since then.
Rakovac said she is confident the project will be a hit because of its location in the west harbour and proximity to the James Street North GO Station.