$95M Charlottetown housing project removed from public meeting agenda at developer's request

Construction of a $95-million residential development near the Charlottetown Mall remains on hold after the project was removed from the agenda of a public meeting Tuesday night.

On Aug. 16, the city issued a stop-work order for the housing project, known as Sherwood Crossing.

It said the developer, Tim Banks of Pan American Properties, does not have a valid building permit.

Before a building permit is issued, it must go to a public meeting.

Alex Forbes, the manager of planning and heritage for theCity of Charlottetown, said he was informed late Tuesday afternoon that Banks requested Sherwood Crossing be removed from the public meeting agenda.

Next steps up to developer

He said the next steps are up to Banks, but construction will remain halted until a building permit is issued.

"He will advise the city as to how he wants to proceed, and then the city will indicate whether the issuance of building permits is in a manner that we can issue them."

The project was expected to be complete by next March.

Banks said he believes there is no legal basis for the stop-work order. In a text message to CBCNews on Tuesday, he said his architects and engineers have a different understanding of the process and are working through it with the city.

Pan American Properties does have a development agreement with the city. However, it decided to add basements and upgrade the exterior look of the townhouses to include brick. The city says the changes mean another review of the project must take place.

Changes to exterior

The new design would have been part of the discussion at Tuesday's public meeting. Banks said he has now withdrawn the changes to the exterior. He said the changes should have been dealt with through negotiations, not at a public meeting.

He said he will take the city to court if it does not approve a permit for the foundation plans.

"We will do the site work and foundation and we'll work with them to get something acceptable or we'll just build what we have approved," he said in the text message.

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