Parts of Nova Centre still need design approval

Work on parts of the Nova Centre hascome to a halt after city staff noticed discrepanciesbetween the approved design of the building and what was being builtat the site.

"We're doing checks on a weekly basis with our engineers to make sure that the construction is going up the way it was approved by the design review committee and back in August [2015], we started seeing some signs that potentially things were going a little differently than what had been approved by the city," saidBrendan Elliot, senior communications advisor for Halifax.

Following that discovery, staff highlighted three parts of the centre where the developer intends to make changes in an information report to the design review committee submitted Feb. 29. Those parts include the Market Street elevation, the exterior materials at the base of the building and the tower at the corner of Sackvilleand Market Streets.

Public explanation

"I think the one thing that would be important to note is that nothing will get done before there is a public meeting, before the developer has the opportunity to explain to the public what it is that he wants to do," said Elliott.

Elliott says the design review committee would need to approve the changes to the plan. What that would look like remains unclear.

"From the city's perspective, we don't think this is going to be a major big deal. Ultimately, we won't know for sure until we get the paperwork from the developer," he said.

Businessesclose to the Nova Centre likeAppleheadStudioonMarket Street are interested to learn more about what could happen with the design.

"It would be interesting to know what these changes are," saidLiamHennessy, owner ofAppleheadStudio.

"Hopefully it will have some positive aspects on what will happen to the Market Street side."