If you were judging solely on the apparent demand for new high-end condominiums in the Charlottetown area, you would hardly know the world is in the grips of a financial crisis, a severe downturn in real estate markets, with economic recession on the horizon. Last week a developer announced plans for several 8-story glass and concrete luxury condo towers in Stratford, while almost simultaneously Charlottetown’s Planning Board was hearing from another developer who wants to build similarly highfalutin condos directly north across the harbour, behind Founders Hall. In fact, although they are different developers, both projects were designed by the same architect.
This area of the Charlottetown waterfront is a Comprehensive Development Area, or a special planning area, and because this new proposal is significantly different from the spa/hotel/condo plan that was originally approved for that site more than two years ago, the approval process must start again from the beginning.
Tomorrow night at council’s monthly public meeting we will vote to “…proceed to the public consultation phase to consider an amendment to the Waterfront Development Concept Plan…”.
Assuming this resolution passes, a public meeting on the new condo proposal will be scheduled sometime before Christmas, I would think. The developer has indicated he would like to get started on some of the early prep work this winter.
UPDATE: The public meeting is scheduled for November 26th, 7:00pm, at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel (Georgian Room).
Did the resolution pass?
Yes, it passed unanimously.
Dear Pick Your Councillor
Who is the developer?
He’s From Away.
How quickly does the developer want to proceed with this?
You can find out all the details at the public meeting, which will take place November 26th, 7:00pm, at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel (Georgian Room).
Do any councilors recognize the value of preserving public land for public use?
Yes that rail yard land and port land was owned by CN Rail from 1918 – 1994. Before CN, it was owned by the PEI Railway, a federal Crown corporation from 1873 – 1918 and a provincial Crown corporation at the time of its establishment in 1872 until Confederation in 1873.
Not to mention that the Charlottetown port was owned by the federal government until divestiture in the 2000s. So the public has a huge interest in that land.
Should the city planning bureaucrats and councilors really be making such long-lasting decisions that is seeing public land developed by private interests?
Should we be blocking the public from a view of the waterfront from Water Street that has existed (even with the rail yard) from the time of Charlottetown’s founding?
And what of the storm surge flood inundation threat for that area? The city planning department still has not properly incorporated the LIDAR survey data from the devastating and record-breaking January 21, 2000 storm surge into the waterfront planning process.
The Pauli’s Wharf development and the condominiums built by the marine terminal (as well as the Founders Hall construction) only prove that this data and the federal study into sea level rise and future storm surge impacts by Natural Resources Canada and Environment Canada is being ignored.
All 3 of these developments are within the danger contour for the Jan. 21, 2000 storm surge flood level and will be in the extreme contour for storm surge flood levels once you take into account 100 year sea level rise of 70-100 cm.
Waterfront development in Charlottetown is extremely short sighted and ill-informed.
David… hope to see you at the public meeting.
I’d be interested to see how the overall development of this project will integrate into the current downtown tone and tenor. Additionally, anchoring a large project on that side of town will open the area to possible gentrification, certainly a welcome balance to the Brighton area on the opposite shore.
I’m wondering how this all fits into the “Grand Scheme” of things in Charlottetown? Is the a development plan for that area and, if so, does address residential and commercial development? (I know that area currently has some light industrial, is that going to impact the surrounding land-use making this a condo silo instead of a part of a community?)
Good morning. I attended the public meeting last night at the Charlottetown Hotel. And for what it is worth I’ll give my 2 cents worth. I believe that this project is good for charlottetown in the sence that downtown needs high density development. For Tax base, for population, for business. That building of Philip O’Halloran’s is a very attractive , an estetically appealing building that suits the surrondings. It fits in well with the Historical Waterfront. unfortunitly this building proposed does not. That being said it is councils desicion to make and I don’t live within eyesight of the building. If it goes ahead good. It will create jobs and generate business. I very rarly go to the waterfront anyway. Thank you
This is another development that Charlottetown needs. People against this are saying that the developer can move inland to other parts of the city. My guess is, potential tenants of buildings like this don’t want to be inland, they want to be on the waterfront. If the developer can’t build it in this location, he more than likely won’t build at all. Residents of Charlottetown must become familiar with the term of “give and take”. As far as I am aware we do not have developers beating down our doors to develop in our city and I fear what this city will look like in 20-25 yrs if we do not familiarize ourselves with the “give and take” concept.
I hope you are one councillor who will give the thumbs up to this development Rob.