Development talk

Some opposition voiced against Water Street lot rezoning

A request to rezone a longvacant property on Water Street in Summerside is being opposed by some adjacent property owners.

The Summerside Regional Development Corporation (SRDC) owns the lot in question at 565 Water St. It has asked for the land to be rezoned from Medium Density Residential to High Density Residential.

A developer has been in contact with SRDC and is interested in buying the property, but would like it to be rezoned first. A higher density zone would allow for a larger building with more units.

But some nearby residents don’t like the idea of a higherdensity development being added there. Two people spoke out against the rezoning Wednesday evening during a public meeting on the subject at city hall.

One of those people was local businessman Morris Caseley, who owns several properties in the area near the lot. Caseley was not present, but his lawyer, Mike Ramsay, spoke in his place during the meeting.

Caseley is concerned about increased traffic, potential repercussions for future events at Green’s Shore and danger for pedestrians in the area if a higher density zone is granted.

“(Caseley) does not believe that high density residential development at 565 Water Street would be harmonious and in keeping with the structures in the local area,” said Ramsay on behalf of his employer.

It was also noted during the meeting that Caseley has also looked at the property for his own potential development project, but that his potential project would not require a high density rezoning.

Arnold Croken, president of the SRDC, said that there has been an upswing in the number of people considering buying property in Summerside in the past year, which is a good thing, he said. However, it also drives up property prices, and that means developers have to increase the unit density of their developments in order to keep them profitable.

The rezoning request will now go to planning board for further discussion and recommendation to committee of council.