Boardwalks and a beach: King's Wharf developer eyes major changes

The developer behind the massive King's Wharf project along the Dartmouth waterfront has asked Halifax regional council to approve major changes to the project,although the number of proposed residential units wouldremain the same at 1,500.

There are fourbuildings already built or under construction at the site.

Developer Francis Fares said he plans to begin work on the tallest building on the site in 2018, but he'll spend the next sixmonths going through an amendment process.

"We reduced the height along the waterfront. The focus is on the pedestrian experience," he said.

The revised proposal envisions more public space, including boardwalks and a beach.

"We have the sun here until sunset, so we thought we'd take advantage of it and make the waterfront more enjoyable and pedestrian friendly," said Fares.

The developer has also asked the municipality for permissionto eliminate a second access route into the King's Wharf
site.

Fares saidexperts have told him it isn't necessary, but a second route is part of the original plan approved in 2008.

Fares saidit could take another decade to complete theKing's Wharf Project.