February 21, 2006
Daily News
Local News, Tuesday, February 21, 2006, p.8
Stephen Bornais
Dartmouth - Francis Fares wants to create more than a money-making development on the old Dartmouth Marine Slips site. He wants to create a statement.
"We have big dreams," he said matter-of-factly at a public meeting in Dartmouth last night.
Fares unveiled a stunning, $300-million redevelopment for the old abandoned industrial site in Dartmouth Cove just off downtown.
The more than 150 people in attendance heard King's Wharf billed as a "waterfront lifestyle centre," modelled after similar developments in Europe.
There would be waterfront condos where owners could dock their boats. Fancy food shops and public walking trails. A hotel and a public marina.
A high-speed ferry would connect it directly to downtown Halifax.
In short, Fares said, it would be a destination.
"We hope it will be a gathering place for many, many people," said Fares, president of Fares Real Estate Inc.
The meeting was the first of many the proposal will undergo before it becomes a reality. Halifax regional council has the final say.
The company bought the property from Irving Oil 15 months ago. It had sat empty since Irving closed the Marine Slips in 2000, throwing more than 100 people out of work.
But Fares said his development would create hundreds of short- and long-term jobs, as well as pumping an additional $5 million in property taxes annually into city coffers.
It was clear from the meeting that there is strong support for Fares's concept, but also some opposition.
Nearby residents said they feared King's Wharf would block their own waterfront views, and greatly increase traffic in the area.