The developers behind King’s Wharf are preparing to start construction of the development’s next major building.
Anchorage at Dartmouth Cove Property Development Inc. has submitted plans to the city for a 27-storey, mixed-use tower that will stand more than twice the height of the existing buildings on the King’s Wharf site.
Most Haligonians recognize the four square highrises, lined up along the Dartmouth waterfront, that currently occupy the King’s Wharf development site.
Those buildings are just a small part of a planned project that will eventually contain 20 buildings, 1,500 units, close to 30,000 square feet of commercial space, four new public streets, two marinas, and a park.
The proposed 27-storey tower will be the next piece of the project to fall into place. It will feature an internal courtyard with amenity space for both residents and the public, as well as commercial space on the ground floor.
Renderings of the proposed building from Breakhouse indicate the tower eventually be incorporated into a three-storey commercial block that includes a hotel and public courtyard.
The tower will be built on “Lot E” of the King’s Wharf site, which is a swath of land between the existing “Anchorage” and “Keelson” buildings and Halifax Harbour.
Where those original buildings each stand about 38 metres high, the new tower will stretch more than 80 metres.
That will make it the second-tallest structure in the entire development, behind the proposed 40-storey tower on the water’s edge.
(The King’s Wharf Master Plan. Image; Submitted)
On October 14, Harbour East-Marine Drive Community Council agreed to move the proposed tower along the development process.
The next step is a public hearing, where citizens can weigh in on the project before council makes its final decision.
The King’s Wharf development has been regulated by a series of development agreements since Harbour East Community Council first approved a development agreement in 2008.
With its promise of significant new commercial space, homes for thousands of people, and sleek new public amenities and parks, developers argued the project has the potential to dramatically transform downtown Dartmouth.
Last year, after more than a decade of halting progress, the developers revamped their plans for the community, improving the public space while significantly increasing the height of many of its buildings.
Council approved that revised plan in February of 2020, with one councilor calling it an “unqualified improvement” over the original design.
At the time, developer Francis Fares said he hopes to complete the rest of the project by 2030—although that was before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the region.
Right now, there is no firm timeline for when construction of the new tower will begin.
***Trevor Nichols is a reporter with HuddleToday.ca. Huddle Today Limited and Acadia Broadcasting are each part of the Ocean Capital Group.
