Stratford looks to build downtown

With seven hectares of land available for development on its waterfront, the mayor-elect of Stratford, P.E.I. wants to make sure the town gets it right.

'Once it's developed, we can't get it back.' mayor-elect David Dunphy

The property, now occupied by the Southport Motel, is about to be purchased by the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation.

"It's probably the prime, in our view anyway, the prime piece of commercial development land in the greater Charlottetown area right now," Robert Hughes, the chief administrative officer for the town, told CBC News Tuesday.

The plans are to put in three roads, carving out three city blocks. The first road will be built off Stratford Road, beside the CGI building.

"It'll be a wider road with parking on both sides, there will be trees and benches, and underground wiring and street lights," said Hughes.

"You'll probably see something like townhouses on the left-hand side as you go down the new road, and on the right-hand side you'll see buildings that are a mix of residential and commercial."

Hughes said a boardwalk along the waterfront will give people a panoramic view of the harbour.

Mayor-elect David Dunphy, who won office Monday night, has yet to take office but Tuesday he was briefed on the plans. Dunphy said it is important to make the area attractive.

"I understand it's private property and they can develop it, but as a town [we] have to really ensure that we retain as much green space as possible because once it's developed, we can't get it back," he said.

Residents will have a say in the development, he promised. The design work for the first phase will likely be done over the winter, with construction starting in the spring.