Shape Stratford – Shape Stratford

Stratford needs more housing, plain and simple. People shouldn't be forced to move out of their community where they live, work and play.

Have you been affected by housing affordability? View all stories

— Stratford resident

Stratford needs more diverse housing options. These should include apartments/townhomes for families as well as smaller units for singles and seniors.

Have you been affected by housing affordability? View all stories

— Stratford resident

I would like to downsize in a few years and would like to stay in town. I worry I can't find a smaller place in my price range and may have to stay where I am even though our place will be too big for our needs and might be more suitable for someone else.

Have you been affected by housing affordability? View all stories

— Stratford resident

I've grown up in Stratford and I love it here, but there is nothing available within a reasonable price range.

Have you been affected by housing affordability? View all stories

— Stratford resident

Three students standing closely together, smiling.

The Town of Stratford in Prince Edward Island, Canada, has received $1.1M, funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to take part in the Housing Supply Challenge (HSC). The goal of this project is to find innovative solutions to barriers around new housing supply.

Did you know, the Town of Stratford is anticipating needing 4,000 more housing units by 2041 in order to keep up with population demand? The reality is, change is needed to ensure everyone in the community has a safe place to call home.

More housing density in a community has many benefits including…

Seniors can stay in their own community near friends and family
More job opportunities within the Town
More affordability
Young people can remain in the community
Positive environmental impacts including less roads and sewer and water infrastructure, the opportunity for shared green spaces, and economies that come with building closer together.
More transportation options including additional transit, active transportation and other networks that rely less in the need for everyone to have a car.

What has been completed since the project began?

Actively engaging with members of the wider community including residents
Established 3 advisory groups: a Working Group to oversee the overall project, an Affordable Housing Task Force to delve into the policies and procedures, and in Inter-municipal Committee for wider sharing and learning across a number of participating Island municipalities
Hosting an open house and a number of online surveys
Encouraging conversation on the Shape Stratford website
Reviewing and developing material, checklists and other content to assist the Town’s planning department and those looking to develop in our community
Publishing ongoing series of course materials to allow for the general public, planning board and council members to learn more about the planning process in an open, engaging and easily accessible format at their own pace.
So much more!

The Story of Stratford by the numbers

Explore the data

June 1, 2023

Growth Management Virtual Session

Stantec hosted a visioning session in person on May 4 and a virtual session on June 1. This was an opportunity to provide community input into the Growth Management Study. You can find their presentation through the link below. Note the download is approximately 20MB.

Stantec 20230508_Visioning_workshop_FINAL-compressed

March 23, 2023

Growth Management Engagement Session

We were proud to have Stantec join us on March 23rd to discuss the Growth Management Strategy and Development Charges study.

They will also be joining us on May 4th for their visioning session. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming session!

March 9, 2023

Community Open House

A Shape Stratford Community open house event was held on March 9th. This event allowed community members to be able to learn more about the Shape Stratford initiative, ask questions, speak to submit matter experts such as planners, town of Stratford employees and developers. We will be hosting more events in the near future and encourage all residents of Stratford to come out and be part of this important discussion.

March 16, 2023

Share Your Story

Have you been affected by housing affordability? Share your story with us now!

April 3, 2024

We Want Your Feedback

The Town of Stratford is conducting a final survey to better understand the current and future housing needs of residents within our region! Survey responses remain confidential and anonymous and we appreciate your feedback.

Take the survey

April 25, 2023

Growth Management Survey

The Town of Stratford has engaged Stantec to develop a Growth Management Strategy and Development Cost Study for the Town. This important work will help shape the future development of the Town. This survey is part of Stantec's project, and we thank you for your interest and participation.

Take the survey

April 18, 2023

Employee survey

Do you work in Stratford? If you are an employee of a business located in Stratford we want to hear from you. Please take our 5-minute survey on housing in Stratford.

Take the survey

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What value does higher density bring to a small town? Wouldn’t it just create more traffic and congestion?

Laurance says:

April 18, 2023 at 6:42 pm

Thank you for your question, Cindy.

Higher-density housing options can actually reduce traffic, especially with higher public transportation available. In addition, it can increase surrounding property values, attract businesses and employers and can reduce overall energy consumption!

Reply

What is the difference between low density and high density?

Laurance says:

April 18, 2023 at 6:41 pm

Thank you for reaching out. Low-density housing refers to residential areas occupied primarily by single-family homes or buildings that have a small number of units (i.e., semi-detached units, row houses, etc.).

High-density areas are typically urban areas with buildings that have a large number of units (i.e., high-rise apartment buildings).

Reply

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In this release from Statistics Canada they estimate that in 2023, 107,266 short-term rentals in Canada were “potential long-term dwellings,” meaning that they could have served as long-term housing options, at over 1% for only PEI and BC. What are your thoughts on this information?

Summary graphic: https://x.com/StatCan_eng/status/1818286540646133840
Full data set: https://bit.ly/3LGTefY

In this recent article, sharing results from a survey taken in Vancouver, it shows that density has many benefits to a community and the community feeling that it can bring. As we know that on PEI to save land, reduce costs and find efficiencies, and create more overall housing which is needed, the solutions all lead to an increase in density as part of the answer, what are your thoughts on density?

Article: https://bit.ly/3TldF6R

Caught part of this discussion last night on CBC radio. Have a listen and let us know how it relates to us in Stratford: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/16010301-smart-cities-technology-pursuit-urban-utopias?share=true

A more local context of the Smart Cities Challenge can also be found in Bridgewater, NS (and yes, we were one of the mentioned 49 other Canadian municipalities they beat out for the funding but that’s ok). Learn more about their project at: https://www.bridgewater.ca/town-services/energize-bridgewater/bridgewater-smart-cities

Let us know what resonates with you from this article? What other ideas do you have to share? Let’s start a conversation….

https://apple.news/A3VwH4bAHRuSVQ8r0xVHGcQ

Project updates

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Who's listening

Wendy Watts
Community Engagement
Town of Stratford
Email: wwatts@townofstratford.ca

Document library

Final Growth Management Strategy

Image | Growth Management Scenario

Town of Stratford Zoning and Development Bylaw

Town of Stratford Official Plan open_in_new

Town of Stratford Interactive Zone Map open_in_new

Background Report - Town of Stratford Growth Management Strategy and Development Charge Study

Community Engagement/Baseline Survey Report

Shape Stratford Employee Survey Report

Timeline

done

Stage 1 Application Submitted August 25, 2021

done

Stage 2 Application Submitted June 15, 2022

done

CMHC Funding Announcement September 2, 2022

done

Project Working Group Established January 2, 2022

done

Affordable Housing Taskforce & Intermunicipal Committee groups established March 3, 2023

done

Shape Stratford Residents Survey Released December 2, 2022

done

Shape Stratford Website Launch March 9, 2023

done

Shape Stratford Community Conversation Event March 9, 2023

done

Growth Management Strategy & Development Charges Study March 23, 2023

Community Event (Stantec)

done

Growth Management Survey April 2, 2023

done

Growth Management Visioning Workshop May 4, 2023

done

Virtual Growth Management Visioning Workshop June 1, 2023

Project Completion March 1, 2024