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Some progress made with council reaching a final agreement with Casa Development for a new subdivision

Casa Development may get its wish and won’t have to build sidewalks in the Quesnel subdivision.

However, the request not to provide a security deposit to the municipality for hydro infrastructure remains in limbo.

Mayor Joanne Savage told council the developer has run into issues to get cost estimates from Hydro One when installing hydro poles, lighting and wires.

So the developer ascertained the estimated costs by using a private developer.

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This opened the door to the request to not provide a security deposit to the municipality since the developer couldn’t get the estimated costs from Hydro One.

Council debated this point and concluded since it has contacts at Hydro One, it may be able to get the cost estimates.

However, the majority of council agreed very strongly the developer should still put up the security deposit saying the municipality needs to protect itself.

On the concrete sidewalk versus the paved shoulder debate, the consensus was a paved shoulder was acceptable to most elected officials.

Councillor Chris Fisher preferred the sidewalks saying they are safer as did his colleague Yvon Duhaime.

However, Duhaime noted that despite the rules the municipality has on proposed subdivisions, council has made exceptions in the past and has let developers install paved shoulders rather than build a sidewalk.

Because of that, he felt council had little choice but to approve the request for a paved shoulder but strongly suggested it should follow its own rules in the future.

Mayor Joanne Savage said when an area of town has no sidewalks it creates safety issues and used the Dovercourt seniors as an example who have raised safety concerns over the lack of sidewalks.

An argument the developer has used as a reason against installing sidewalks is they don’t go anywhere since adjoining streets don’t have sidewalks.

Savage says while that may be true today, there may be sidewalks built in the future and then they would all be connected.

Councillor Jeremy Seguin sided with the developer’s argument that the sidewalks in the Quesnel subdivision lead nowhere.

Seguin says having a paved shoulder actually makes it safer for bicyclists since they’re not allowed on sidewalks but can ride on the shoulder.

Councillor Dan Roveda asked why build sidewalks that don’t go anywhere and councillor Roly Larabie said he was alright with seeing paved shoulders built in the subdivision.

Councillor Lise Senecal argued that because council has made exceptions in the past with the sidewalk debate, it had no choice but to allow paved shoulders to replace sidewalks in the proposed subdivision.

Council had earlier agreed to accept cash from the developer in return for parkland so this matter was no longer an issue.

Casa had hoped to have a final agreement with council in place before the end of the year so it can start selling the lost and begin construction.

But that’s now on hold until the New Year.

 

 

 

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