King's Wharf developer Francis Fares eyes 400-unit expansion

The businessman behind the King's Wharf development in Dartmouth has given notice to the Halifax Regional Municipality that he wants to make the signature waterfront project even bigger.

Francis Fares is asking for permission to add three buildings to the downtown development, bringing the total to 15. That plan would see an additional 400 living units.

"We are retweaking some of the buildings," Fares said.

The original plan for the $300-million project, which was approved in 2009, called for as many as 12 buildings, including apartments, condos, a hotel, shops and office space on the site of the former Dartmouth Marine Slips.

The development's signature building, dubbed the Iconic Tower, was scheduled to be 30 storeys tall and jut into Dartmouth Cove.

In addition to adding 400 units to the project, Fares now wants the maximum building height on the site increased and an exemption to any viewplane restriction. He said he intends to infill more of Halifax Harbour to make room for a new tower, which could be 40 storeys.

"We had big bulky blocks of buildings and we took one building and divided it into smaller, two buildings and taller. We asked for a little height and that added more units," he said.

Coun. Gloria McCluskey said the viewplane issue doesn't bother her.

"You don't own the view. You know, people move when they have a view and they think that's there forever but times change," she said.

Jennifer Graham, a coastal co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, said she's disappointed to hear of more proposed infilling.

"Seems to me we're doing exactly what HRM wants to avoid doing, we're stretching our infrastructure out in areas that are vulnerable and expensive to maintain rather than concentrating it on existing land that would be rife for redevelopment," she said.

Fares said his condos sell for about $700,000. There's no word yet on prices for the additions.

"Adding a building in the water is very costly. This is what we are thinking and hoping the market sustains," he said.

The new proposal for the King's Wharf development will also require a second access road across from the railroad tracks.

A date for a required public hearing has not been set.