Developers unveiled their plans Thursday night for the revitalization of one of Halifax’s biggest eyesores.
The public was invited to view the first sketches of the new-and-improved version of
Fenwick Place, the now-abandoned 33-storey tower erected in 1971 in the city’s south end.
Joe Metlege, a developer with Halifax-based Templeton Properties Ltd., said he was excited to hear the feedback on the plans.
“Over the past number of months we’ve been working with community residents and businesses to come up with a new design for the site,” Metlege said Thursday morning. “I was born and raised only a block away from the tower. It’s part of my neighbourhood…and the opportunity is there, now, and I believe the city is ready to move forward.”
The project still needs to get the approval of Halifax Regional Council, but Metlege said once it is complete, the existing tower will be “unrecognizable.” A new glass façade is being planned which will protrude out 36 feet from the current walls.
In addition to the refurbishment of the main tower, an additional eight-storey residential building is being proposed with ground-level restaurants and boutiques. The current South Street parking lot will also be replaced by another 10-storey building – and a pedestrian walkway lined with restaurants and boutiques will run between that building and the main tower, said Metlege.
“We really want this to become a landmark project,” he added.
Thursday night’s public consultation was the third to take place since the developers began tackling the massive project. According to Metlege, construction could start immediately after his company gets approval from the city.
“It is a long process, I mean we’re talking over a year,” he said. “At this stage we’re getting the big-picture concepts in place…if we’re missing something, we want to know about it now.”
