Deferring townhouse development decision
Charlottetown council will have traffic study done before voting on proposed project for 68 Brackley Point Rd.
A decision on a controversial proposed townhouse development in Sherwood is going to take a little longer.
Charlottetown city council was originally supposed to vote on a resolution to reject an application to construct two townhouse dwellings at 68 Brackley Point Rd. at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
However, Coun. Greg Rivard, chairman of the planning committee, said after a recent public meeting, the applicant asked that the matter be deferred so a traffic study could be done.
About 50 residents turned out at the public meeting to voice their concerns over the proposed development. The concerns include an increase in traffic and the blind spot at the top of the hill near 68 Brackley Point Rd.
The two townhouses would total 14 units. One of the townhouses would consist of six units, while the other would have eight.
Instead of voting to reject the proposed development, Rivard moved a motion to have the issue deferred pending a traffic study. The vote was 3-3, with councillors Terry MacLeod, Mike Duffy and Kevin Ramsay in favour of the deferral and councillors Rivard, Bob Doiron and Julie McCabe opposed. In the event of a tie vote, Mayor Philip Brown has the task of breaking the tie. Brown voted in favour of the deferral.
McCabe noted concerns with the sight line and the safety of the project considering the location, a steep hill located between Pine Drive and the Duncan Heights road. She also pointed out that planning staff recommended the application be rejected.
Coun. Mike Duffy said Police Chief Paul Smith has said there is no problem with sight lines or safety, but Duffy thinks it’s in the city’s best interests to have a traffic study done so that it has “empirical evidence as to whether it’s safe or not safe’’.
Doiron, who represents residents in the area, said he is adamantly opposed to the proposed development.
“When you travel this road every day,’’ he said, referring to Brackley Point Road, “and you are coming up that hill . . . it is too much for the area. It’s a dangerous hill.’’
McCabe said people should also keep in mind that there are two schools — Sherwood Elementary school and Stonepark Intermediate School — as well as St. Marks Presbyterian Church — nearby, adding to the concerns over traffic and safety.
Brown said the matter should come back to council for a vote in January or February.
“Six attempts have been made to develop this property yet a traffic study has never been done,’’ Brown said. “This will give us the chance to do a traffic study.’’
In January, the developer previously put in an application to construct a 48-unit apartment building at the location, but it was rejected by the city’s planning board. In April, a proposal for a 30-unit apartment building and 17 townhouses at 88 Brackley Point Rd. was also rejected.