Summerside residential development off to rocky start with neighbours
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SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Builders trying to construct upwards of 600 residential models in a big multi-year venture close to Summerside’s Greenwood Drive will not be receiving a heat welcome from their potential neighbours.
Z & C Flourish Worldwide Ltd. has requested the town to rezone a handful of related properties on the north finish of Greenwood Drive. It’s the first of a number of hurdles the developer must overcome to maneuver forward with the expansive housing venture, which has the potential to be one of many largest in the neighborhood’s historical past.
A public assembly was held on June 14 to permit the general public to ask questions of the developer and supply suggestions associated particularly to the rezoning utility.
Each resident who spoke on the assembly expressed opposition, particularly to the high-density housing (R4) a part of the venture. By far probably the most urgent concern was associated to site visitors and highway circumstances within the space.
“We met some new neighbours a few weeks in the past, and I mentioned, ‘Welcome to take your likelihood drive,’ as a result of we had been strolling down Greenwood. And it truly is. It’s horrible. And further models deliberate to hitch as much as Greenwood Drive – it’s not going to make it higher,” mentioned resident Matthew Wedge.
“The intersection of Pope Highway is horrible. Everybody is aware of it. You all comprehend it.”
That concern was echoed by most who spoke.
There are two roads that exit from the Gavin Estates neighbourhood, which is adjoining to the properties in query. One is the two-way cease on the intersection of Pope Highway and Greenwood Drive, and the opposite is MacDougall Drive, which additionally feeds onto Pope Highway and has a cease signal.
MacDougall Drive has no sidewalks and Greenwood Drive solely partially.
“We’re afraid that somebody goes to get harm or killed,” mentioned Sam Dalton, who lives on Greenwood Drive and who has been serving to to prepare residents in opposition to the rezoning.
“Bringing in what they are saying is actually the City of Kensington and placing it within the discipline throughout from us with no different exit or entry factors, apart from what we at the moment have, is insane. We don’t also have a (highway) shoulder. Individuals are asking for the correct infrastructure to be in place – it ought to have been (put) in years in the past.”
The preliminary plans introduced by Z & C Flourish Worldwide Ltd. confirmed the brand new growth would initially have solely two exists, each of which might join onto Greenwood Drive – one thing that drew audible groans from a number of assembly attendees.
Coun. Justin Doiron, who represents the world, has been lobbying for enhancements to the Greenwood Drive and Pope Highway intersection for years.
Two years in the past, whereas doing unrelated underground work in that space, the town put in the infrastructure for site visitors lights on the intersection, however finances constraints have to this point delayed efforts to get the precise lights pushed up the precedence listing and put in.
Working with the town
Lots of the questions posed by residents had been addressed by John Mantha, an engineer and land surveyor working with Z & C Flourish Worldwide Ltd.
Mantha took in all of the issues put ahead by the residents and mentioned he and the proponents shall be speaking to the town about the way forward for the venture. Given the extent of native opposition, they could must reevaluate a few of its points.
“We’re right here to work with everyone, we’re not right here to create bother. We wish to work with you and are very appreciative of what was mentioned tonight,” mentioned Mantha.
“We’re going to take a seat down, we’re going to take all of your feedback into consideration and we’re going to take a seat down with the planning division to attempt to discover a answer that will match everyone. That is why we had this assembly tonight, was to find out whether or not anyone would entertain such a growth on this space – and clearly we heard the reply is ‘no,’” he added.
The rezoning request will go earlier than metropolis council on the subsequent planning board assembly on June 27 at 5 p.m. At that assembly, metropolis employees will present additional data and attempt to reply most of the questions that had been requested by residents on the June 14 assembly.
Colin MacLean is a reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He might be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @JournalPMacLean.
