The day after an open house in the community, the District of Port Edward formally zoned a large parcel of land for a planned subdivision.
The multi-family development would include 130 units and 259 parking spaces for residents and visitors. Chief administrative officer Bob Payette said that giving the rezoning to allow for a multi-family residential area third and fourth reading could prove to be quite beneficial for Port Edward in light of a projected boom related to the development of liquefied natural gas.
"There are many benefits of that to the district in terms of revenue generation through tax assessment, having proper accommodation for multiple families and having a critical mass for services — if we got potentially got closer to 700 or 800 residents, that could sustain a grocery store," he said, noting the company had "good answers" to resident questions related to privacy, drainage and access at the previous night's open house.
"There are all kinds of good opportunities that could come from this rezoning."
With fourth reading passed and the property zoned, the next step in the project is entering the development application process, which would provide more specifics on the housing proposed.
"Hopefully we can move into the building permits early in the fall, which would be excellent," said Payette of the timing.
After welcoming proponent Alture Properties to Port Edward, Mayor Dave MacDonald called the passing of the zoning "another good day for Port Edward".