Residents concerned about vacant lot on Passmore street

Some residents on Passmore Street in Charlottetown hope development on an empty building lot begins soon.

In the meantime, they're worried about the condition of the site.

Jennifer Gillis lives on the street.

"It hasn't been maintained and now there's a big pool that's developing there. There's kids playing in there, it doesn't look safe," said Gillis. 

She's lived in the area for about two years and said she's worried about the water accumulation, garbage, and the fence around the perimeter that's bent in some places.

City, developer respond to complaint 

About a year ago, the City of Charlottetown approved a proposal by developer Phillip O'Halloran for a residential and commercial development on the site. Nine properties were demolished for the project. 

Greg Rivard, chair of Planning and Heritage with the City of Charlottetown, said the city did receive a complaint about the lot and has been in touch with the developer. Rivard explained the developer has been told to improve the site in compliance with the demolition permit. 

Rivard said the obligations include leveling the property to grade, seeding it with grass, having a fence around the area, and maintaining the fence. 

"The developer now has two weeks to conform with the obligations that were set out in the permit," said Rivard.

Site being drained, fence fixed

​O'Halloran said he responded quickly to the complaint, getting workers to bring in a pump to drain the area and fix up any fencing.

He described the recent problems of water on the site as spring melt. 

"It was full of snow, so when the snow melted, it had no where to go," he said.

He also pointed out the fencing is construction grade — designed to keep people out.

Residents said they were happy to see the quick action.

O'Halloran told CBC he's working on finalizing architectural, construction and financing plans for the project and he expects to begin construction in the coming months. 

"It's a site ready for development," said O'Halloran.

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