Charlottetown Area Development Corporation looking at how to reshape downtown core

Officials with the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation say work is underway to research how the historic core near the Confederation Centre and Province House might be reshaped.

A consultant has been hired to come up with a plan to make the area more attractive, accessible and secure.

“With the ongoing renovation of Province House and the significant investment that’s been made there and also some moves going on with the Confederation Centre, we thought it was a good opportunity to go and take a look at the area,” says Ron Waite, general manager of the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation.

“From the confederation side of Grafton Street down to Sydney Street and down Great George, looking at the whole design of the area, examining the infrastructure and looking for a long-term plan to improve the aesthetics of the area.”

The downtown Charlottetown library is set to move across the street to the Dominion Building. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

Waite said a couple of things are happening in the area.

“The library is moving out of the Confederation Centre and going to its new location. The centre has indicated a desire to become better engaged with the street particularly around Queen and Richmond,” he said.

“Right now it is basically a concrete bunker.”

Waite said there is also a transit stop on Grafton Street which could be redesigned. He also said the shipping and receiving area for the Confederation Centre could be “cleaned up a little bit.”

“We wanted to … deal with the whole issue of the renovated Province House and what the exterior grounds around that area look like,” Waite said.

Waite says asking whether or not the stakeholders in the area want Sydney Street converted to a pedestrian-only passage in the summer should be part of the process. (Shane Ross/CBC)

He also addressed previous discussions around the desire of some to see Sydney Street turned into a pedestrian row in the summer — a proposal which the city rejected for 2020.

“If you are going to do that there are some impediments that need to be dealt with and whether or not the stakeholders in the area even want it are part of that whole process,” Waite said.

Streetscape improvement and design workshops are also being held as part of the research and the consultant’s report on the initial design should be complete by the end of the year.

Waite said where it goes from there will depend on funding and the desire of area businesses and organizations to move forward.