Residents steadfast against Primrose change

By Collin Gallant on December 14, 2018.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

A month-long wait hasn’t mellowed opposition in the Connaught community to a proposal that would allow townhouse development on a nearby greenspace.

This fall the city’s land department applied to rezone an open-space lot at the corner of College Drive and Primrose Drive to medium-density residential, which they say fits council priorities of selling excess land and spurring new construction along existing roads and utility systems.

A number of Connaught residents however, say it will spoil the wide open space, add traffic congestion and lower home values.

The issue will be dealt with in a public hearing Dec. 17 at council’s last meeting of the year.

This week signs went up on several private properties advertising the meeting, and opponents claim a 700-name petition shows widespread opposition in the community.

“People are really taking this to heart, and putting in a lot of work,” said Robin Cowan, a resident of the area and vocal critic of the plan. He’s encouraging the network of residents in the area and Marlborough to attend Monday’s meeting to voice their opinion.

Formal submissions were due this week to give time for their inclusion, but residents and members of the gallery are allowed to make verbal statements.

“A lot of concern about traffic, and what could go in there after (the zoning change),” resident Bill Olson told the News. “I don’t see any reason to change it.”

When the plan was described to area residents, the land department referred to new council priorities to sell land in the municipal holdings not needed for municipal services. That would bolster revenue and encourage infill development that comes with lower development cost and servicing costs going forward.

The lot is neighboured by a seniors’ housing facility and a major road, and a medium density redesignation would allow townhouses, a bareland condo development, or, as a discretionary use, an apartment block or multiple-unit condo buildings.

Several councillors have signalled they may not support the changes for the lot at 352 Primrose Drive.

When the proposed rezoning bylaw went to first reading at council in mid-November, three councillors voted against hearing the issue.

That came after several members of the municipal planning commission told a well-attended public meeting weeks earlier they were only voting in favour so that council could defeat the measure and perhaps settle the issue in the residents’ favour.

The Primrose lot won’t be the only subject of a public hearing at council’s meeting next week. The Riverside Redevelopment Plan, drafted to guide development principles in the older neighbourhood, will also hear from residents and interested parties before a final vote takes place.

Budget headlines long agenda

City council’s final meeting of 2018 could be one of the longest in recent memory. Members will be presented with the 2019-2022 city budget plan when they convene Dec. 17. They will also take final votes on a raft of utility rate changes, deal with two public hearings and then elect public members to terms on a variety of boards, commissions and committees.

Finance department officials are expected to present council with the budget plan for the next four years, which will include potential infrastructure projects as well as initial proposals for tax rates over that time.

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