[Dartmouth] Harbour Isle | U/C

[Dmajackson]

So somehow a problem arose with last time the ammendments to the buildings were approved so they are trying again (the ammendments were accepted before but legal problems arose). They have new information out though;

HERE IS A PDF OF THE PROPOSED AMMENDMENTS

And the new hearing is;

Jan. 8, 2009 @ 7:00pm @ Harbour East Coummnity Council

[Dmajackson]

They've finallly fixed up their website so you can view their site plans zoomed in. So the way its working is the four waterfront buildings are the residences and in the back their is the hotel.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

So somehow a problem arose with last time the ammendments to the buildings were approved so they are trying again (the ammendments were accepted before but legal problems arose). They have new information out though;

HERE IS A PDF OF THE PROPOSED AMMENDMENTS

And the new hearing is;

Jan. 8, 2009 @ 7:00pm @ Harbour East Coummnity Council

It looks alot like the centennial development except shorter... and there will be 3 of them.

[miesh111]

Harbour Isle’s rocky start

By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Thu. Jan 8 - 4:46 AM
The website shows an artist’s conception of an ambitious waterfront development and uses descriptive advertising copy with words like "magnificent" and "breathtaking views."

But the $300-million Harbour Isle project in Dartmouth is off to a bit of a rocky start.

That’s because legal staff at Halifax city hall has advised Harbour East community council that part of the existing development agreement with an Ontario firm is not valid.

In August, community council approved a seven-storey condominium building as a component of the mixed-use site.

A Dec. 9 staff report, prepared by senior planner David Lane, says a section of the agreement "is invalid as it is inconsistent with provisions of the Municipal Government Act."

It says proposed changes to the condo building include going up to nine storeys from seven, reducing the number of units to 110 from 135, using a flat roof instead of a pitched one and expanding a planned boardwalk along the edge of Halifax Harbour.

Also, the size of condo units that were originally proposed has shrunk. Some are now as small as 400 or 500 square feet.

"The proposed changes significantly deviate from the comprehensive design of the development as outlined in the existing agreement," says the staff report, approved by planning services manager Austin French.

The report adds that "the developer is also considering the inclusion of additional lands to the site."

The Burnside Park land used to be zoned industrial, but the former property owner, GJR Developments Ltd., went through a three-year process to get it switched to residential.

Five months ago, community council voted unanimously in favour of a seven-storey building to be constructed by the Yorkville Group, an Ontario developer which has acquired the property. The project is part of a multi-phase development the company has proposed for lands near the Dartmouth Yacht Club.

The developer plans to build a mixed-use community that would include a hotel, shops, restaurants, a marina, boardwalks, condos and townhouses.

According to the municipal staff report, changes requested by the developer "must now be considered a substantive change to the agreement" and require a public hearing.

Two sources familiar with the issue said city hall’s lawyers were so concerned about the deal they would not let Mayor Peter Kelly sign the development agreement.

The public hearing is to take place Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Halifax regional school board building in Dartmouth.

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

[Dmajackson]

Tidbit from the Burnside News this month;

• Harbour Isle, the former Sheppards Island condo development, appears to be running into just as many delays getting off the ground as its predecessor. After a splashy opening event to launch the development, the owners have gone back to HRM asking for a few ‘small’ revisions. The developer wants to increase the size of the first building from seven floors to nine, reduce the total number of units, reduce the footprint of many of the units, switch from a pitched roof to a flat one and expand the harbourside boardwalk. Taken all together, the changes are enough to invalidate parts of the existing development agreement with the city. That means the whole project has to go back into the public consultation process before a revised development agreement can be agreed upon.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Tidbit from the Burnside News this month;

• Harbour Isle, the former Sheppards Island condo development, appears to be running into just as many delays getting off the ground as its predecessor. After a splashy opening event to launch the development, the owners have gone back to HRM asking for a few ‘small’ revisions. The developer wants to increase the size of the first building from seven floors to nine, reduce the total number of units, reduce the footprint of many of the units, switch from a pitched roof to a flat one and expand the harbourside boardwalk. Taken all together, the changes are enough to invalidate parts of the existing development agreement with the city. That means the whole project has to go back into the public consultation process before a revised development agreement can be agreed upon.

I think the redesign will look better. I prefer the towers be 2 stories taller and have a smaller footprint. It will also make the development look more cohesive in terms of height.

[Dmajackson]

I was looking on the website for this development and they've added a couple of things in the Media section.

There's four little brochures on the website and one of them shows a rough sketch of the height of the buildings from a new vantage point and one of them implies the construction might start this month

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

I was looking on the website for this development and they've added a couple of things in the Media section.

There's four little brochures on the website and one of them shows a rough sketch of the height of the buildings from a new vantage point and one of them implies the construction might start this month

Where do you see that it implies that? I looked and can't find anything.

edit: nevermind I found it lol, I must be blind

[Jonovision]

They look nice. But I interpret that as the sales centre will be showing whats to come this month. But who knows. One can always hope we'll see some work soon.

[Dmajackson]

There's no construction yet on this project but here are some photos of the lot as it is now. All photos taken by me today;

[q12]

Anyone know the current status of this project? Any activity?

[Aya_Akai]

Originally Posted by q12

Anyone know the current status of this project? Any activity?

A friend of mine had a few pictures he took the other day... pretty much still looks the same as the pictures above a couple posts up.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by q12

Anyone know the current status of this project? Any activity?

I'm by this a few times a week and as of 8 o'clock this morning there is no construciton activity yet.

[Dmajackson]

From the Burnside News:

• Sources are whispering in The Ear that the long anticipated Harbour Isle project may be putting its condominium project on the back burner and proceeding with the commercial aspects of the development first. That would include the smaller retails sites it wants to construct along Windmill Road and the possibility of a small grocery store – a service many Burnsiders have identified as being at the top of their wish list.

=======================================================================================================================

I have noticed a few more commercial properties signs have appeared on Windmill Road related to Harbour Isle so I would say this rumor is most likely true. I also imagine that it is tough to sell high-end condos in an industrial park in this eceonomy anyways.

[DigitalNinja]

I agree with both points

[Wishblade]

the only question is...when???

[Spitfire75]

There's not much on their website anymore. It just says new designs and plans coming in July. So we should be getting some new renderings shortly.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Spitfire75

There's not much on their website anymore. It just says new designs and plans coming in July. So we should be getting some new renderings shortly.

The website is now completely down. There isn't even a preview page.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

The website is now completely down. There isn't even a preview page.

This site still seems to work:
http://www.harbourisle.ca/
although there is no info at all on it other than a few general pics and a link for registering to get info.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by beyeas

This site still seems to work:
http://www.harbourisle.ca/
although there is no info at all on it other than a few general pics and a link for registering to get info.

Lol it took over five minutes to load but it finally worked.