Major Stratford development one step closer to reality

Stratford town council made changes to its bylaws Wednesday night to make way for a massive residential and commercial development.

Located along the Trans-Canada Highway east of Hillsborough Bridge, the Crossroads project plan would add about 3,200 residential units and 300,000 square feet of commercial and light industrial space to the P.E.I. town over the next 20 years.

"It's a huge step forward for us as a company and, I think, the town of Stratford," said Trevor MacLeod, the president of The Gray Group.

"We saw it as an opportunity about five years ago to acquire the land and really come up with an all-encompassing plan that would kind of bring the town of Stratford into the next generation."

Two new zones

A resolution to amend the Zoning and Development bylaw passed second reading. Council then voted again to formally adopt the bylaw creating two new zone classifications — the Core Mixed Use zone and the Urban Core zone. 

Both zones allow buildings with commercial use on the first floor and residential units above. However, the Core Mixed Use zone permits up to six-storey buildings while the Urban Core zone allows for 12. 

"It's important first of all because we're running out of places to live," said Coun. Jeff MacDonald, chair of the planning, heritage and development committee. 

"We're seeing deficits in every single type of housing we have, whether it's single-family residential, multi-residential apartments, what have you."

Still, creating more housing takes time. The Crossroads will be built over the next 15 to 20 years with a billion-dollar price tag.

"I think what we're looking at is seven stages of the development," said MacLeod. 

"Everything up to this point was a concept. We think it was a well-thought-out concept, but we can really get into the nuts and bolts of the development now and start looking at how we accomplish next steps."

Past concerns

Residents have raised concerns in the past. Late last year, council received about 50 letters from residents worried about things from the height of the buildings, to the parking and the impact on the environment. 

The initial plan was adjusted to address some of the concerns, said MacLeod. For example, height restrictions along one stretch of Shakespeare Drive have dropped from 12 storeys to six. 

"We brought up some concerns from, obviously, some of the residents of Stratford and the town also, and it was very quickly dealt with," said Coun. Gordie Cox during the meeting.

The new zones also include what is called form-based code. It means specific standards are built directly into the bylaw removing the need for individual applications to go forward to council.

"It really puts the onus on a development officer to approve rather than looking at a site-specific approval process for each different development that might occur," said MacDonald.

"The idea is it allows for faster development. Development that's placed in the decision-making capabilities of the experts who work with planning every day." 

It was a moment Mayor Steve Ogden referred to as "historic" as he took the time to thank the planning staff, developers and council. 

"They looked at this from all angles and they really dug into it," he said.

"We're now able to move forward with certainty and know that this is what our future downtown is going to look like."