SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart looked pleased when he declared it would be a busy year in his city.
A special council meeting heard about two potential subdivisions as the developers requested zoning changes.
First up was Robert Duffy representing MacDuff holdings to request rezoning 761 Water St. East from R1 to R2 to allow semi-detached housing.
“The demand for semi-detached in Summerside is overwhelming,” said Duffy.
He said while some people are interested in single-family homes, a previous project opened his eyes to the desire for multi-family housing.
The proposed development is to be named Starlite Estates, in homage to the site’s history as a drive-in theatre. It will be divided into 40 lots for a combination of around 36 semi-detached units and four houses.
Duffy and his business partner, Dave MacLeod, purchased a total of three properties for Starlite Estates to allow for proper access into the development.
If the zoning requests are approved by council, Duffy and MacLeod hope to start work in August.
Deputy Mayor Norma McColeman thanked the developers for investing in the city.
“We really want to send a very loud message that we are open for development.”
Second on the agenda was an application from 1000018 P.E.I. Inc. to rezone 630 Water St. East, site of the former Heritage Trailer Park.
Engineer and surveyor Dave Morris presented the proposed plans while landowners Steve and Tara Malayny sat in the gallery.
Th company is requesting the land be rezoned from C2 commercial to a Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) to enable the company to build 27 to 29 small single-family homes on one commercial lot. They’ll be rentals. The density and the traffic will remain unchanged from the previous mobile home park, said Morris.
“The utilities will be all underground including electrical,” said Morris.
Then he cued up a video which gave a virtual tour of the proposed neighbourhood, to be named Dory View at Water’s Edge. Narrow houses with small side yards and large back yards lined the streets.
Each home would have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garage. A 1.5-metre side yard will separate each house. Homes will be between 7.62 to 10 metres wide and around 18 metres long (that’s about 30 feet by 60 feet).
“The purpose for going to CDA is there’s currently no zoning within the city to allow this type of development,” said Morris.
“We’d have narrow lots with small dwellings that provide an alternative to multi-unit townhouse units and semi-detached dwellings.”
Council was enthusiastic for the innovative development and several councillors thanked the Malaynys for their commitment to the city.
When the Journal Pioneer asked what the inspiration was for the project, they referred the paper to speak to their lawyer.
The next step for the two rezoning requests is for city staff to look over the proposed developments and provide feedback to the city’s planning board. They’ll make a recommendation to council for the final say at the next regular council meeting.
“Two weeks from now, it’ll be all done,” said Coun. Brian McFeeley, referring to the the rezoning decision.
“We want to eliminate barriers, not create them.”