Controversial Dartmouth Hotel Project Still Going Ahead, Says City Councilor
DARTMOUTH – A highly controversial hotel development in Dartmouth is still being constructed, despite never receiving support from council. Next to Lake Banook, the 16-storey Prince Albert Hotel is being built, even after Councilor Sam Austin and Dartmouth residents strongly opposed the development last year.
“Well there is no fight right now,” said Austin. “The developers have proceeded with their project, as is their legal right. So, it’s rising out of the ground and under construction.”
According to Austin, construction paused for a bit this summer but has since resumed. Huddle made numerous attempts to call the developer, Monaco Investments, for an update, but voice messages were not returned.
In September of 2019, the developer got approval to build an eight-storey apartment building. But, in an unexpected twist, Monaco Investments informed council in April of 2019 that they were going to build a 16-storey hotel instead.
As surreal as it sounds, Halifax City Council was powerless to stop the development switch. Due to outdated Dartmouth zoning rules from the 1970s, a hotel development in the area didn’t need council approval, even though an apartment building did.
“The hotel development is ‘as-of-right,’ and doesn’t require Council approval,” Austin wrote on his website back in April, 2019. “It’s a decision that makes a mockery of both the upcoming Centre Plan and the seven-year process to get to an approved mid-rise residential project. It’s deeply disappointing and infuriating and I will fight it.”
Between April and August of last year, the Prince Albert Hotel development – and the fight against it – received much media attention. But in the past year there hasn’t been nearly as much attention given to the issue.
Austin says he tried to come up with creative motions in council to sidetrack the development. He knew there was nothing council could legally, because of the old zoning laws, so he suggested things like Halifax acquiring the land, or doing a land-swap with the developers.
“They were all very long-shot motions, but I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned and, unfortunately, none of them came together, so the developers proceeded with their project and it is what it is,” said Austin.
“At the end of last year, the Centre Plan came in and replaced all the zoning (laws) in the growth areas … So the loophole that this hotel slipped through has been closed,” explained Austin. “The Centre Plan has identified where we want growth to happen, and the form we want it to take.”
“They beat us to the mark by a few months.”
Austin says he is not against a big hotel being built in Dartmouth, as long as it’s in the right area, such as Downtown Dartmouth. The area along Lake Banook, however, is less than ideal.
“It’s no problem at all if it’s in the right spot… there’s many spots downtown I would have supported it on. It’s all about what’s appropriate for any given spot. And right along the Lake next to, primarily, a low-rise neighbourhood, it didn’t make sense.”
“The consensus on that one in Dartmouth is a very strong ‘no’.”