Stratford looking for public input on proposed 56-unit development

The Town of Stratford is holding a public meeting tonight to get feedbackfrom residents on a proposed 56-unit, four-storey housing development on Dale Drive.

"I think we just want to hear input from the residents on the application for this rezoning if there's perspectives that we haven't considered or if there are issues that need to be dealt with," said Stratford Mayor Steven Ogden.

Letters were sent to all residents within about 500 feet of the proposed development to notify them of the public meeting, Ogden said,but the meeting will beopen to all Stratford residents.

In December council decided to hold a public meeting on the development in the new year. The developer, Pan American Properties Inc., has requested that several parcels of land be rezoned from commercial to mixed-use.

Originally it wasthought that rezoning applications did not require public meetings, Ogden said.

"But in fact, zoning changes do require public meetings," he said.

Out of the 56proposed units,30 would qualify as affordable.

The developer is also asking for a height-restriction exemption. There is a limit of12.2 metres (40 feet) for the mixed-use zone. The peak for theapartment building would be16.8 metres(55 feet).

If the rezoning isapproved and a development permit is granted by council, it would be up to the developer to move forward with the project "at their own pace," Ogden said.

"I would expect that some time over the next year or so there will be new affordable housing units in Stratford if this is approved," he said.

But Ogden cautions, it all comes down to whether or not council will approve the project.

The meeting will take place tonight at the Stratford Town Centre at 7 p.m.

More P.E.I. news