SRDC NEWS
- 2016-06-10
- WATERFRONT VISION - PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE - JUNE 22, 2016: 7PM
- Ekistics Plan+Design is helping Summerside to plan for the next 25 years of its waterfront and dow...Read More
- 2016-06-09
- EXPLORING ATTRACTS
- Adventure Canada aims to deliver unique experiences of culture, history, and natural wonder, and suc...Read More
- 2016-05-20
- VECTOR UPGRADES CAPACITY WITH NEW ENGINE TEST CELL
- Trevor Hogan sat behind a shiny new control panel Wednesday morning, with all kinds of monitors, but...Read More
- 2016-01-19
- SUMMERSIDE GROUP PLANNING WATER TAXI, UPGRADES TO HISTORIC LIGHTHOUSE
- There are plans afoot to introduce some unique attractions to the City of Summerside�s waterfront. ...Read More
News STORY
SRDC EYEING UNDERUSED BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN
�SRDC continues to look at properties in Summerside,� Croken said. �Everything is on the table ... I guess, as we move forward. We�re still concentrating on the Holman Building. We�re not in a position to buy anything at this point, but we�re always looking at under-utilized properties and that�s our mandate.
There�s quite a number of them in Summerside so we�re always looking at options.� The SRDC has already taken over the parking lot that surrounds the Harbour Quay building.
�We�re leasing all of that parking now for the Holman centre and that�s meeting our needs,� Croken said. �We haven�t identified any need for parking beyond that at this point. There has been talk about a parkade but that�s a pretty major undertaking, and until such time as that there�s sufficient demand to warrant looking at something like that, I can�t see that in the foreseeable future.�
Harbour Quay is just one of several buildings in the downtown core that is not filled to capacity.
�There�s a fair bit of vacant space in that building,� Croken said. �There�s vacant space in the Smallman building. There�s vacant space in the Town Centre across from the Holman Building.� Croken notes, �It�s a problem but it�s also an opportunity that we�re trying to take advantage of to create more activity downtown.� He said the SRDC has a plan in place to breathe new life into downtown Summerside.
�It�s been an ongoing process for SRDC, after we purchased Holman�s,� he said. �We have a long-term plan in place ... that pretty much charts the course for us for the next five to seven years. So all of this is part of the parcel.
�How do we develop the downtown into a more vibrant centre and community? By taking advantage of the empty spaces there.� The overall goal of SRDC is to create the environment for good paying jobs that will bring young people back to the city.