City of Charlottetown to take over Prince Edward Home land following transfer from province
'It'll become part of our green space,' says Mayor Philip Brown
The P.E.I. government has agreed to transfer its ownership of the former Prince Edward Home site to the city of Charlottetown.
Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Steven Myers announced the transfer on Thursday.
The former nursing home has been torn down. The city plans to use the location as green space for now, including it as part of Victoria Park, which is adjacent to the property.
According to Myers, the space belongs as a city-owned property.
"It makes much more sense for the city to be able to put it into their master plan of Victoria Park, so they can clearly show the residents of the area that nothing will happen but green space here," he said.
"That's probably why the transition, to put it to bed once and for all, that it will be green space and it will be in the city's hands to deal with."
Charlottetown's mayor said the transfer of land will be a great addition to the existing park.
"It'll become part of our green space and park space and playing space for the city and the whole province," Mayor Philip Brown said.
"It's always the devil's in the details and we're going to be working that out in the next few weeks," he said.
The vision and design for the space will be decided by the city's parks and recreation committee.
"There is still a lot of work to be done ... internally, before we showcase what we believe the vision should be for Victoria Park for the next 50 to 100 years, when you take into consideration just how valuable this green space is," committee chair Coun. Mitchell Tweel said.
The province is negotiating with the city about acquiring some other property, outside the downtown core, in exchange.
More CBC P.E.I. news
With files from Brian Higgins