Charlottetown residents want more housing options, better neighbourhood design and a faster, more transparent development approval process.
That’s what the City of Charlottetown heard from the first round of public engagement on updates to its Zoning and Development Bylaw, the rules that guide how and where housing is built in the city.
This work is part of the City’s commitment to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund program, which aims to build more homes across the country. To qualify for funding, communities must show how they are removing barriers to building homes, such as updating zoning rules and streamlining approval processes. Updating the City’s Zoning and Development Bylaw is an important step in meeting these goals.
The City initiated community engagement on the Zoning and Development Bylaw Update this spring. Opportunities for input included an online survey, targeted stakeholder meetings and interviews, and three public open houses.
The online survey revealed strong, consistent support for affordable housing, active transportation and walkability, and improvements to public transportation. When asked about housing, 72 per cent of respondents were either strongly or somewhat in favour of allowing more diverse housing types in low density residential areas, with the most appropriate housing types identified as secondary suites (one additional unit) followed by duplexes and accessory dwelling units (backyard dwellings).
Survey results indicated that buildings with four or more units were the least compatible with existing residential areas, and protection of Charlottetown’s historic character remains important. The inclusion of measures to adapt to the effects of climate change, such as reducing flooding risk, also received strong support.
Feedback collected from public open houses also showed strong support for increased housing options, especially studio apartments, townhouses and multi-bedroom rentals. Participants raised concerns about urban sprawl and opposed expansion into undeveloped areas within the city.
Stakeholder meetings were conducted with a range of participants and reinforced the need to reduce the time and complexity associated with development approvals, as well as the need for streamlined, transparent and predictable approval processes built on clear planning principles.
“Charlottetown residents have made it clear – they want more housing choices, greater affordability and a planning process that is fair, efficient and easy to understand,” said Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov, Chair of the Planning and Heritage Committee. “The first round of engagement shows that our community is not only engaged, but ready to help shape a more inclusive, resilient and future-focused Charlottetown.”
Work on the draft bylaw is currently underway and the public will have another opportunity to provide input before the draft is finalized and presented to Council for adoption later this fall.
To learn more about the Zoning and Development Bylaw Review, including the full What We Heard Report, please visit
charlottetownhall.ca/zoning-and-development-bylaw-review.