[HALIFAX, NS] — Talk about bad timing.
Demolition on the four-storey brick building next to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic was pushed back — right into prime tourist season on the waterfront.
Crews are in the process of removing hazardous materials from the BioScience Enterprise Centre which once housed BioNova, Nova Scotia’s Life Sciences and Biotechnology Industry Association. The association long ago moved to Summer Street.
The Queen’s Landing project is planned for the site which has three components: potential expansion to the Museum, possible permanent facility for the HMCS Sackville, and a hotel-office-ground floor retail development by Armour Group Ltd.
“The idea is that all three of those legs of the project can proceed at independent timelines, but when they’re developed, it will be a cohesive whole,” said Eric Burchill, director of planning and development with the Waterfront Development Corporation.
Problem in delays will mean the building, right next to the boardwalk used by thousands of tourists, will come down sometime this summer or early fall.
“It is a concern. Originally when we commenced the project we preferred to have it completed in the off-season and unfortunately the project’s schedule didn’t allow for that. It is something we have to be mindful of and coordinate for public safety purposes,” Burchill said.
It took longer than expected to empty the building in order to maximize recovering recyclable materials, he added.
