Charlottetown's draft official plan looks up, rather than out - Action News
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PEI

Charlottetown's draft official plan looks up, rather than out

Charlottetown is opening discussions on the draft of a new official plan this week. The document will eventually outline how the city will grow and develop over the next 20 years.

If plan is adopted, main streets in Charlottetown could have higher-density housing

Alanna Jankov inside Confederation Centre of the Arts.
Consultations this month are an important part of the process in creating a plan, says Alanna Jankov. (Tharsha Ravichakaravarthy/CBC)

The City of Charlottetown is opening discussions this week on the draft of a new official plan, which will eventually outline how P.E.I.'s capital will grow and develop over the next 20 years.

This will be Charlottetown's first crack at an official plan since 1999.

The 200-page document was released last week, and the city has scheduled four meetings this week so that residents can offer feedback.

"This is nowhere near a finished document, because it's so important for us to hear from the residents, [and] the business and development community," Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankovsaid.

The plan is broad-reaching not only in time but also in its scope, laying out plans to manage what is expected to be continuing rapid population growth while at the same time preparing for the impacts of climate change and protecting the local environment.

Jankovsays it will resemble "a road map for how Charlottetown will grow and develop over the next 20 years

"This is like the guiding light."

A map of Charlottetown showing priority areas for growth.
Dark green areas are considered a priority for growth in the draft official plan. (City of Charlottetown)

With the city and the province dealing with a housing crisis now in its fifth year, one of the biggest challenges facing Charlottetown is creating housing. Planners say the solution is building up, not out.

P.E.I. developers have complained that it's hard to build high-density housing on the Island because not enough land is zoned for it. The draft plan identifies two types of areas in the city, called nodes and corridors, where higher-density buildings would be allowed, up to six storeys in corridors and eight storeys in nodes.

Corridors include sections of some of the major routes through the city University Avenue, St. Peters Road, Belvedere Avenue, Capital Drive and the nodes will fall where the intersections of those arteries meet.

Ajay Punnapadam outside
Developer Ajay Punnapadamhis says this kind of plan, with allowance for more higher-density housing, is needed for progress on P.E.I. (Kevin Yarr/CBC)

Ajay Punnapadam, owner of Confederation Construction and Interiors, likes what he sees in the plan.

"It's a very well-thought-out plan, there's no doubt about it. They've put in a lot of effort and kudos to the team who did it. They've done a fabulous job with it," said Punnapadam.

Map of Charlottetown showing proposed corridors.
Under the draft plan, buildings up to six storeys tall would be encouraged along certain corridors within Charlottetown. (City of Charlottetown)

"For the development of P.E.I. as a whole, we definitely need this kind of progress."

The city will hold open houses to present the plan and receive feedback Monday to Thursday of this week, all starting at 6:30 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Monday: Rodd Royalty Inn.
  • Tuesday: Murchison Centre.
  • Wednesday: Charlottetown Library and Learning Centre.
  • Thursday: Malcolm Darrach Centre.

Residents can also participate in the consultation process through an online survey and an interactive map exercise. (See links at bottom of this story.)

Consultations close on April 6, and the city hopes to present the final plan this summer.


With files from Island Morning