Construction delayed on 8-storey apartment complex on Charlottetown waterfront

Work on an eight-storey apartment complex on the Charlottetown waterfront has been delayed until at least next spring, says the developer.

Tim Banks, president of Pan American Properties, had hoped to break ground on the $30-million project this month, but COVID-19 has put it, and a number of other projects, behind schedule.

"Waiting to catch up on a few projects as no available competitive workforce ready to start this project," he said in an email to CBC.

Banks said it has been difficult to get tradespeople from off-Island includingelevator installers and suppliers of mechanical equipment and hardware.

Scheduling issues

There have also been issues scheduling subcontractors because of COVID-19, he said.

"We're probably not going to significantly start until the spring when we better understand the impact of second wave [of COVID-19] and also avoid winter conditions," he said.

Last April, Banks said the 99-unit building, which would be built on Haviland Street between the Queen Charlotte Armoury and Culinary Institute of Canada, could end up being one of the "premier properties in the city."

The steel-and-concrete structure would include seven storeys of apartments and two floors of parking, one of which will be underground.

"For me, personally, it's probably one of the larger-scale projects that we've brought to P.E.I.," he said in April.

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