Developing concerns
Charlottetown residents rally for city’s planning committee to reconsider Southview Estates development
A proposed development in the north end of Charlottetown is going to get a second look from Charlottetown city council.
Dozens of residents from Southview Estates gathered outside Charlottetown City Hall early Monday evening to express their opposition to a development approved for their neighbourhood.
Inside, the council’s standing committee on planning and heritage was meeting to talk about a lot consolidation on two properties adjacent to where the residents live.
The development would see three apartment buildings – containing 20 units each –constructed off of Trainor Street, which is part of the Southview Estates neighbourhood between Malpeque Road and Lower Malpeque Road.
The city's planning committee had recommended not to approve the development in June, but city council later voted 7-3 to approve it.
However, on Monday evening, the planning committee voted almost unanimously to send the matter back to council, recommending that the city’s elected officials reconsider the original decision in June.
Council will discuss the lot consolidation matter at its next monthly public meeting on Nov. 9.
Jingtap Liu, a Southview resident, is hopeful that council reconsiders its original decision.
Access to the apartments would be via Trainor Street, meaning traffic could increase, and navigating the residential area's streets would be more difficult.
"Too many people will come through there," he said.
Most residents aren't completely against the development itself – instead, they're against the access point, said John Barrett, who organized the rally.
"If (instead) the traffic from the apartment buildings flowed out onto Malpeque Road – great."
For instance, there are no sidewalks in the area, so walking around could become less safe.
As well, residents already have trouble accessing the busy Malpeque and Lower Malpeque Roads as it is, Barrett said.
"It's a traffic-based issue," he said.
"But it's developed into a bunch of other things."
Most attending the rally held signs with phrases such as, "City hall, consider residents. Not just developers" and "Protect our neighbourhood. Respect residents”.
Some weren't residents of Southview but were there in support of the cause.
Barb McDowall, who lives near the proposed 300-unit Sherwood Crossing development, said she was there to oppose the city's rushed planning and development process and "to get them to stop”.
"It's like dropping the (town) of Souris into that little space," she said about Sherwood Crossing.
"We're a very finite little province."
On Tuesday, Coun. Mike Duffy, chairman of the planning and heritage committee, said all council did in June was approve a lot consolidation.
Duffy said if council changes its mind, the developer could still move ahead and build a 32-unit apartment building on one lot and sell the other.
And, the permitted uses for the lot could include anything from a cannabis retail store to a motorcycle club or a funeral home.
Duffy added that the proposed project is on land zoned C-2 which can’t be connected to a residential zone but points out the developer does have a buffer zone that would comply with the city’s zoning and development bylaws.
Usually, council will only reconsider a decision it’s made if a mistake was made in its initial decision or if new information has come to light.
If the city denies Barrett's request, an appeal is scheduled with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) next month to try to have the city's approval nullified.
But Barrett is hoping it doesn't get to that point, he said.
"Our hope is that councillors and board members see the wisdom in maybe taking a second look at this really flawed decision."
"Our hope is that councillors and board members see the wisdom in maybe taking a second look at this really flawed decision."
John Barrett