The developer behind a proposed housing project in Musquodoboit Harbour is selling his land and walking away, calling a provincial fast-track designation his "biggest hindrance."

John Wesley Chisholm's planned 120-unit Harbour Garden Village community was named a special planning area in 2023 because the site was set to include a new long-term care home.

While the provincial designation is intended to accelerate development, Chisholm said Friday he is closing a deal to sell his nearly 20 hectare…