147-unit affordable housing project approved for Malpeque Road

Charlottetown council has cleared the way for a two-building, 147-unit affordable housing project in the city's northern suburb of Winsloe.

TheMalpeque Road development was first announced in July2023 as a single $30-million, 82-unit building. Ottawa provided$5 million to the city through the Rapid Housing Initiative, while the rest of the funding camefrom the provincial government.

The development would be owned and operated by theP.E.I. Housing Corporation, the Crown entityresponsible forsocial housing in the province.

Since that announcement, the housing corporationdecided to add a second building, which has beenincluded in the province's capital budget.

The two buildings were tendered as a package in thespring, the province said in a statement to CBCNews.

Tuesday, council voted 9-0 to increase the height allowance from 15 metres to 25 metres to allow fortwo six-storey buildings, onewith82 units and the secondwith 65 units.

In its statement, the province said the subsidized units are intended forseniors and families on the social housing registry.

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said the design plans still need to be approved by council, butthe units fit with the city's goal of developing the corridors into the city, andbuilding up rather than out.

"We only have so much precious land here in Prince Edward Island. So the more that we go urban sprawl, the more we take away from farmland," Brown said.

"This is all part of ... more density and more housing, more supply."

The buildings, located at 470 Malpeque Rd. across from Melody Lane andthe Petro-Canada gas station, will sit along the T3 Transit bus routes, which Brown hopes will minimizeextra traffic in the area.

"Going out to the north is building that uptown connect with the downtown," he said. "It's part of how we want to grow this city, but growing in this city means we need more density."

Brown said he would like the units built as soon as possible.

"The beauty of this housing development is that it will be modular units similar to what the Canadian Mental Health Association built on Fitzroy Street. So that will speed up the construction."