After several rejections, Palmers Lane development gets residents' nod of approval

There may finally be a plan for a Charlottetown property with a long history of failed development proposals that neighbourhood residents can support.

Weymouth Properties wants to construct two townhouses consisting of a four-unit building and an eight-unit building at 38 Palmers Ln.

Jessie Frost-Wicks, who lives next to the proposed development, said she wasn't in support of it until she had a chance to meet with the people behind it.

"We've had a lot of history with this property ... this is the first time we've seen a development that addresses not just our needs in the community, but it does address housing needs in the city," said Frost-Wicks.

"It is appropriate to the neighborhood, it will blend in ... it's an attractive development and it's not overwhelmingly large."

Frost-Wicks and her husband, Bill, attended a public meeting Tuesday night to discuss the proposal.

Everybody who spoke supported the plans.

The city said there have been several requests to develop the property, with the previous one being in September 2019.

The same developer behind the current proposal, Weymouth Properties, wanted to build a three-storey, 18-unit apartment building.

City staff did not support the apartment building "due to the bulk, scale and mass of the proposed building."

But city council approved it anyway.

Residents took the decision to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission and it overturned the approval, effectively killing the project.

Terry MacLeod, chair of planning and heritage with the city, said the city now has a proposal that both residents and the city can support.

"I think they listened to the residents," said MacLeod.