Georgetown hopes to get bigger with tiny homes

An eastern P.E.I. town is hoping a trend towardsmaller living can help it grow bigger.

The population of Georgetown fell to 555 in the 2016 census, down from 675 in 2011. The town is looking to rebuild its population by creating a tiny home subdivision.

Council recently approved $1,500 for an engineering study on the idea.

"I think our council is very open to anything that will spur development," said Coun. Phillip Herbert, who brought the motion forward.

"We're trying to move forward here, and every idea is a good idea until we find a reason it's not."

The engineering study is required because the proposed real estate, between East Street and Burnt Point Road, is a well protection area. That puts severe limitations on what can be built no oil tanks, for example, and no septic fields. Hebert said the area is close to municipal water and sewer, and part of the engineering study will be to determine the cost of extending those services.

If the project is not too expensive, Hebert said he would like to have a plan in place by the middle of this year. He would like to start with four to six homes. He said there is probably room in the subdivision for 30 to 40.

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