More housing in store for Summerside, if zoning applications approved

A Summerside neighbourhood will be busy if two rezoning applications are approved by city council in the days to come. 

Developers are interested in creating housing in the area near Pope Road, around the tax centre. 

"We are a growing city," Councillor Brian McFeely, chair of the planning board said. "We completed the housing study a number of months ago. That study indicated a significant need for housing in the community over the next 10 years."

This week, residents attended a public meeting to hear about rezoning on a section of Brophy Avenue. It would allow for apartment buildings, where previously it had been zoned for parkland. 

Following that public meeting, the application goes to planning board and then the planning board makes a recommendation to council. 

The Brophy Avenue application will go to planning board March 1.

Earlier, the city held a public meeting on a rezoning application for nearby Greenwood Drive. It is currently zoned for industrial land, and the application is to rezone it to accommodate duplexes and apartment buildings. 

The Greenwood Drive project went to planning board this week. That recommendation is now ready to go to council. 

McFeely said developers see Summerside as a good place to invest. 

"There's lots of interest, and with the interest comes people looking for land, and in some cases the land isn't zoned what it needs to be zoned."

There are two other proposals that would see more housing if successful as well —  to convert properties on Starlite Street and Water Street East from agricultural to residential. The recommendation on those is on the way to council. 

Summerside city council's decision on these rezoning requests will be made in the coming weeks.