A seven (7)  storey building, “The Banks”, has been proposed for the waterfront between the Culinary Institute and Armories.  This development is in the provincially recognized High Flood Hazard Zone (2020) and sits on a land infill site of as yet unknown material from some time around 1952 when the area became part of the old Catholic hospital grounds and will encroach upon the Province’s 15-meter Buffer Zone based on plans submitted for Design Review.  

An Environmental Site Assessment and/or Environmental Impact Assessment is presumably required before this ground can be disturbed and construction begin, yet a Site Mobilization and Construction Hoarding Permit was issued July 15, 2025 allowing drainage and water flow directed to natural watercourses.

If allowed, this building would disrupt the cityscape, remove an important greenspace and disrupt views of the harbour while walking along the boardwalk .

Urge the City of Charlottetown to transform this property into a Public Park by adding your name below!

 

Potential Benefits:

• Enhance the boardwalk experience
• Preserve the harbour views while walking along the boardwalk
• Leave the fill material used to extend the shoreline after 1952 undisturbed
• Expand the area around the Irish Memorial to become a wonderfully biodiverse park, pollinator garden and public space
• Provide a location to launch kayaks/canoes in cooperation with shared used of the Culinary Institute parking lot (evenings and weekends)
• Recognize the importance of the old Catholic Hospital to this area and to Charlottetown
• Reduce flood damage by incorporating a wetland feature (sponge park) in this High Flood Hazard zone - the climate conscious choice
   
• Limited only by our collective imagination …. !

Let’s Enhance Charlottetown’s Boardwalk With A New Park - Not a New Building

________________

July 26, UPDATE: Clarification on Permit Status

July 25, 2025 article in Charlottetown’s The Guardian newspaper may be misleading about the status of permit approval:

"When the Guardian reached Banks to ask about resident concerns, he had recently received the final permits for building.  …. in a July 17 Guardian interview”.

 

Per Charlottetown's Manger of Development Planning, on July 24th :

“I can reinforce that as per today’s date, the City has issued a Permit for site mobilization work-only on the property as per the attached site plan that APM provided which is inclusive only of installation of construction fencing around the perimeter of the site and locating a construction trailer on the property as per the attached.

 

We anticipate to receive (but have not yet received) a formal application for Building Permit from APM in the next number of days for a Phase 1 foundation-only Permit with respect to the project.  Again, this formal submission has not been received by the City nor any preliminary materials ahead of formal submission either."

________________________ 

UPDATE – August 5, 2025 

 

We’re Over 260 Signatures (online and paper) – Thank you everyone for signing, sharing and promoting this petition!  

 

An Appeal and Reconsideration Request challenging the validity of the current permit have been filed with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission and the City of Charlottetown, respectively.

After being contacted about the current permit, the provincial Department of Environment, Energy, and Climate Action, Environmental Land Management has provided the following statement:.

“Departmental Staff have been in contact with the City, and the Department will review any building/development application submitted for this property to ensure compliance with applicable provincial legislation.  There is no record of contaminated material on this property, however, should soil removal from the property be required, and there is evidence of contamination, the soil would have to be tested for potential contamination to determine if there are issues with off-site disposal.” 

Check @500_lots on Instagram for a pictorial summary of the changes to this area of the waterfront since 1843

 What Happened to Charlottetown's Dundas Esplanade?  

_________________________________________________________

UPDATE August 8, 2025  - 

Activity on Haviland St Worksite for "The Banks" - Permit Violations???

The Site Mobilization and Construction Hoarding Development permit in place only allows for "... installation of construction fencing around the perimeter of the site and locating a construction trailer on the property... "

Between August 7th and 8th,

• Excavation and removal of the surface parking lot was completed
• Soil has been trucked off-site for disposal

City management and provincial authorities were contacted on August 7  & 8  about the activity and whether or not it conformed with the current permit.  No definitive reply was received.

A communication was provided by the City on August 8 outlining permit status, next steps, oversight role of the province for further permits, a Q &  A section, and the possible impact of changes to the Zoning & Development bylaw now under review.

Excerpts:

•       “ As of Aug. 8, the City has not received a building permit application from APM, and no building permit has been issued.

•       Once a building permit application is received, the City will forward it to the province for approval with regards to provincial watercourse and site contamination regulations.

•       A provincial permit is required for any development where fill is hauled off-site. This includes a test for contamination. It is not yet known if this permit will be required. It will be up to the province to determine that, and to conduct the review if necessary.

Q: The City’s Official Plan is pending ministerial approval, and the zoning and development bylaw review is still underway. Could land-use or regulatory changes impact this development’s ability to move forward as-of-right? Is the city looking at land-use or regulatory changes for waterfront zoning?

• It is still too early to say whether any fundamental changes will be made to the current Waterfront Zone regulations. Public consultations are ongoing. 
• If they do change fundamentally under the new Bylaw, and if a building permit hasn’t been applied for and issued by then, then it could potentially affect what can be built as-of-right.  “

Photos of the site showing the excavation and felled trees, can be found on Instagram @500_lots  

Activity on Worksite for "The Banks" Aug 7 & 8

 

The City's communication document should be available by contacting:

Jessica Bradley, Communications Office, City of Charlottetown

Email: jbradley@charlottetown.ca

OR

Planning and Heritage Department

Phone: 902-629-4158

Email: planning@charlottetown.ca

_______________________________________________________________________
Mayor Philip Brown ---> mayor@charlottetown.ca
___________________________________________________________________