MIDDLE SACKVILLE: The development company behind a parcel of land in Middle Sackville rumoured to be the site a third Costco in HRM has had to come out and pour cold water on the recent spread of a confidential site plan on social media.
The post with the site plan was being posted as confirmed and fact and had been shared quite a bit to community pages.
However, it is nowhere close to being confirmed and as Councillor Billy Gillis said in one comment it has not even come to council yet.
The release of the plan saw Armco Capital issue a statement on Wednesday regarding misinformation posted on social media regarding it.
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In the statement issued, which Gillis posted on his Social Media channels as well, Marc Ouellet, Senior Planning Manager, Armco Capital Inc., said they became aware of the post circulating on social media on March 12.
He said the post was being represented as confirmation that a large retailer has selected their property in Middle Sackville for the future site of their store.
“This claim is false,” said Ouellet.
“Armco has been working for 13 years to acquire development rights on several parcels around the Margeson Dr./Highway 101 (Exit 2A) interchange. This process remains ongoing, with no certainty of approval, as it requires decisions from Regional Council.
Ouellet said any significant development would necessitate securing proper zoning and the extension of municipal services at the developers’ cost through an amendment to the Urban Service Boundary.
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In December 2018, HRM Regional Council initiated a Master Planning process for these lands, but the process stalled in February 2022 due to concerns with school capacity, and later because Armco requested to service the development with sewer, in addition to municipal water.
“Over the years, various retailers have expressed an interest in the area, but the lack of proper zoning and municipal services have always been a major impediment,” he said. “As part of our due diligence, and as part of discussions with retailers, we periodically prepare conceptual site plans and grading plans to assess the feasibility of potential projects.
“This type of due diligence is a necessary step developers must undertake before making an official application with the municipality.”
Ouellet said the site plan currently circulating on social media was one such internal exercise.
“It is not part of any current application with HRM, nor has it been formally discussed with municipal staff,” said Ouellet. “Unfortunately, this document was recently shared with an outside organization in advance of a discussion regarding potential infrastructure upgrades.
“While this is a routine part of evaluating development feasibility, the release of the document— without consent and without proper context — has led to speculation that is misleading and potentially damaging to our relationships with HRM, prospective tenants, and area residents.”
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He said Armco wants to be categorically clear: no retailer has committed to this property, nor any property owned by Armco at this interchange.
“The current lack of proper zoning and municipal infrastructure precludes this scenario,” he said.
“While we remain committed to pursuing development rights through the Master Planning process, we strongly believe that public consultation should take place through official channels – not through the uncontrolled spread of preliminary site plans on social media.”
Ouellet continued.
“Armco remains dedicated to working collaboratively with HRM, area residents, and prospective tenants through the proper planning and approval processes,” he said.
