Many eyeing Charlottetown's experimental farm land to develop amid housing crisis

As the province's housing crisis rolls on, many developers and groups are looking at Charlottetown's experimental farm as a substantial plot of land for housing.

Located in the centre of Charlottetown, primarily between Belvedere Avenue and Allen Street, the experimental farm makes up more than 30 hectares of green space and is surrounded on all sides by residential and commercial development.

Last month, Ottawa announced some federal properties that would be turned over for housing, and the experimental farm was not on the list.

While the farm wasn't on Ottawa's mind, some Islanders are considering it and Charlottetown Liberal MP Sean Casey is hearing from them.

Sean Casey, Charlottetown's Liberal MP, says the experimental farm land is the 'crown jewel' of Charlottetown. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

"There's been many discussions over the years around using it for a number of purposes," Casey told Island Morning host Laura Chapin. "The university has shown interest in it. There have been multiple developers that have shown interest in it … that piece of land is much coveted by many."

The land is owned by Agriculture Canada for test crops, and questions around whether the land should be developed for other purposes have been asked for decades. Casey said the experimental farm is the "crown jewel" of the city, and the land he's most often asked about.

With the housing crisis pushing on in recent years, Casey said "it is time" to start thinking about a different future for that land — but conversations with Indigenous groups and Friends of the Farm need to happen first before any development could ever happen.

New York has Central Park, Charlottetown should have the farm: group

Friends of the Farm is a group with more than 100 members that formed in the mid-1990s to fight for the preservation of the land as green space open to the public.

The group's president Sharon Larter said while she understands the ongoing housing crisis, green space that's as precious as the experimental farm land — an "urban oasis," she calls it — needs to be defended.

The experimental farm in Charlottetown is primarily between Belvedere Avenue and Allen Street. (GeoLinc)

"I figure if they can keep 840 acres in Central Park in New York, in Manhattan with over a million population, they can keep 80 acres in the middle of Charlottetown vacant," Larter said.

"There is a wetland there, we all know the lily pond, it's a beautiful 80 acres that people use all the time for walking trails and walking their dogs — it's great for exercise."

Larter said there are many places in Charlottetown that should be developed before people start considering putting houses on the experimental farm land.

"Our group will continue to advocate to have that land remain green," Larter said. "This is really important to us. Hopefully it's important to a lot of people, too, to make sure the housing gets taken care of but look at other spaces first."

The experimental farm in Charlottetown is roughly 32 hectares of green space. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

Ultimately, she said, it's the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq and all decisions should go through Indigenous groups first.

CBC News reached out to both of the Mi'kmaw chiefs, but neither were available for an interview.

In an emailed statement, however, Lennox Island chief Darlene Bernard said Ottawa "must respect its constitutional obligation to consult with the Mi'kmaq should any activity be considered with the Experimental Farm property which could potentially affect Mi'kmaq rights, this includes divestiture for any purpose.

"We have also consistently expressed our interest in acquiring the Experimental Farm property."