SUGGESTIONS WELCOME
CBRM seeking proposals for development of waterfront land
CBRM seeking proposals for waterfront development.
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has extended its deadline for accepting development proposals for municipally owned lands on the Sydney waterfront.
Earlier this month, the CBRM issued an official call for expressions of interest on the approximately four acres of undeveloped waterfront land it owns. The parcel of land is located below the Esplanade between the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion, the Sydney boardwalk, and a small marina and breakwater, both owned by the municipality.
The initial deadline of Oct. 23 has since been moved to Nov. 16 at 4 p.m.
Deputy Mayor Eldon MacDonald said that while the CBRM supports waterfront development, the call for expressions of interest is the municipality’s way of making the process official, although it is not bound to accept any of the proposals it may receive through the process.
“With our waterfront property we’re looking at possible purchase or possible lease depending on what the project might be,” said MacDonald,
who is also the municipal councillor for the downtown and waterfront areas.
“So, if there is anybody out there, any entrepreneurs, developers, anybody with ideas or thoughts on what to do then come and see us and bring us your ideas – we’re open for
business.”
The waterfront has long been regarded as a key component of the CBRM’s vision for the economic development of Sydney. According to municipal documents, all future proposals will be evaluated in the context of the plans laid
out in a 2014 report called the Sydney Harbourfront Conceptual Vision and Design that was prepared by Ekistics, a Dartmouth-based design firm that was hired to conduct the study at the request of the CBRM and Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation.
In fact, the municipal guidelines for submitting expressions of interest state: “This vision was developed with much input from residents of the adjacent neighbourhood and new development should not represent a radical departure from this vision.”
Once the competition closes, the municipality will review the submissions and determine which proposal or proposals best adhere to the CBRM vision. Then, the proponent whose proposal best addresses the ‘vision and design principles and appears likely to generate the greatest economic benefits’ will be asked to submit a more detailed plan.
In the meantime, in an effort to promote development in the Northside Business Park, and to divest itself of surplus properties, the CBRM recently chopped the asking price for the 200 acres of serviced land it owns in the industrial zone located between North Sydney and Sydney Mines.
All municipally-owned surplus land, estimated to number almost 1,000 properties, can be viewed through a new site that can be found on the CBRM website.