Press Release
City Council presented with re-imagined "East-West Housing Corridor" Official Plan
SUMMERSIDE, PE – This evening Senior Management and Technical Services Department staff presented to council the reimagined “East-West Housing Corridor” official plan and updates on the construction for Phase 1 of the corridor set to begin later this fall. The detailed plan outlines the needs, benefits, design standards, locations, and rezoning as part of this new housing network within the City of Summerside. Tonight’s presentation will mark the first step in a month-long review process where council will consider the adoption of this updated plan as part of the City of Summerside Official Plan. The East-West Housing Corridor will be a growth and development-focused project, opening 345 acres of land with the potential of 2,000+ new housing developments to follow, it will however, provide additional benefits from a traffic flow perspective and will include modern designs that will augment the city’s active transportation network, improve emergency service delivery, and create new diverse neighborhoods.
Enhancing the connectivity between the easterly portion of the city and the commercial district of Summerside through a roadway project has been discussed for more than two decades with the proposal of the “East-West Connector”. This concept, first presented to council in 2001, was a traffic improvement-focused project in which third-party traffic engineers indicated that as the city grew, the East-West Connector would become a necessity. It became evident as the years went on that the missing ingredient that would drive demand for the East-West Connector was growth. With the City seeing its largest-ever growth period coupled with the significant demand for housing, the East-West Connector remained not as a singularly focused traffic flow project but now a project that would open a substantial housing corridor.
Adopting the East-West Housing Corridor plan will accompany the City’s process in awarding final tenders for the construction of phase one of the project, which will see the first 1.6 km of roadway commencing on Water St East heading northward. Work on the project is set to commence later this fall and be completed in late fall of 2024.
QUOTES:
“Today we are taking another step forward in building our city in smarter and more sustainable ways to meet the needs of residents now and for the years ahead. The East-West Corridor is a bold and transformative project that will deliver more attainable housing, improve how we move around our community and reduce response times for emergency services,” commented Mayor Dan Kutcher. “I am proud of our Council’s vision and resolve to tackle the challenges of growth and demographics in ways that create new opportunities for our city – especially when they back it up with investments in critical projects like this.” Dan Kutcher, Mayor — City of Summerside
“As attainable housing continues to remain a top priority for this council, today's presentation of the re-imagined East-west housing corridor is yet another example of this city setting a bold vision for its future success. I would like to commend the excellent work the Technical Services Department has and will continue to do, seeing this project forward.” Justin Doiron, Councilor Representative — Technical Services Committee.
QUICK FACTS:
• The newly developed corridor will open 345 acres of land for development throughout the northeastern sections of the City of Summerside.
• Early projections indicate that this newly opened section of land has the potential to encourage 2,000+ new housing units.
• Construction is set to commence with phase 1 (1.6km) later this fall with completion in late fall of 2024.
• Project cost $5.4 million with the City of Summerside leading the development and recovery of costs through latecomer fees as development occurs.
For more information on the “East-West Housing Corridor” official plan, please visit www.summerside.ca
The City of Summerside is located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada with the mindset of promoting and advancing its small city with big opportunities. Summerside offers a diverse market and skilled workforce and is a leader in sectors such as green energy, sport tourism and rapid economic growth. To learn more, please visit www.summerside.ca or connect through Facebook, X, or Instagram.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
JP Desrosiers
Deputy CAO
City of Summerside
publicrelations@summerside.ca
Enhancing the connectivity between the easterly portion of the city and the commercial district of Summerside through a roadway project has been discussed for more than two decades with the proposal of the “East-West Connector”. This concept, first presented to council in 2001, was a traffic improvement-focused project in which third-party traffic engineers indicated that as the city grew, the East-West Connector would become a necessity. It became evident as the years went on that the missing ingredient that would drive demand for the East-West Connector was growth. With the City seeing its largest-ever growth period coupled with the significant demand for housing, the East-West Connector remained not as a singularly focused traffic flow project but now a project that would open a substantial housing corridor.
Adopting the East-West Housing Corridor plan will accompany the City’s process in awarding final tenders for the construction of phase one of the project, which will see the first 1.6 km of roadway commencing on Water St East heading northward. Work on the project is set to commence later this fall and be completed in late fall of 2024.
QUOTES:
“Today we are taking another step forward in building our city in smarter and more sustainable ways to meet the needs of residents now and for the years ahead. The East-West Corridor is a bold and transformative project that will deliver more attainable housing, improve how we move around our community and reduce response times for emergency services,” commented Mayor Dan Kutcher. “I am proud of our Council’s vision and resolve to tackle the challenges of growth and demographics in ways that create new opportunities for our city – especially when they back it up with investments in critical projects like this.” Dan Kutcher, Mayor — City of Summerside
“As attainable housing continues to remain a top priority for this council, today's presentation of the re-imagined East-west housing corridor is yet another example of this city setting a bold vision for its future success. I would like to commend the excellent work the Technical Services Department has and will continue to do, seeing this project forward.” Justin Doiron, Councilor Representative — Technical Services Committee.
QUICK FACTS:
• The newly developed corridor will open 345 acres of land for development throughout the northeastern sections of the City of Summerside.
• Early projections indicate that this newly opened section of land has the potential to encourage 2,000+ new housing units.
• Construction is set to commence with phase 1 (1.6km) later this fall with completion in late fall of 2024.
• Project cost $5.4 million with the City of Summerside leading the development and recovery of costs through latecomer fees as development occurs.
For more information on the “East-West Housing Corridor” official plan, please visit www.summerside.ca
The City of Summerside is located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada with the mindset of promoting and advancing its small city with big opportunities. Summerside offers a diverse market and skilled workforce and is a leader in sectors such as green energy, sport tourism and rapid economic growth. To learn more, please visit www.summerside.ca or connect through Facebook, X, or Instagram.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
JP Desrosiers
Deputy CAO
City of Summerside
publicrelations@summerside.ca
Tanner Doiron
Communications Manager
City of Summerside
Sandra Zarvie
Executive Assistant
City of Summerside