Hundreds pack hearing on proposed mall in East St. Paul

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/11/2013 (4659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SELKIRK — Area residents jammed the chamber at the Selkirk Area Planning Board public hearing on Wednesday night to have their voices heard, both for and against, regarding the proposed 200,000 square-foot SmartCentres mall, expected to also house a Walmart, in East St. Paul.

The chamber had seating for about 70 people, and about 30 more were jammmed shoulder-to-shoulder around the room’s perimeter. Approximately 100 more people were packed into the vestibule and foyer area.

Those who spoke for the development mentioned closer proximity to shopping, jobs and increased tax revenue, while those opposed spoke of traffic snarls, pollution and safety issues.

“I can appreciate everyone’s concern about traffic flow and I even have concerns about having a commercial property next to mine,” said Ted Slusarchuk, who said his property is the closest to the development site but said he supports the proposal.

“We’re going to get this development and the tax base it can provide to a bedroom community. A commercial base is necessary and it is positive. The jobs are also positive.”

Vladimir Moldovanenko, a father of three and a resident near Headmaster Row for the past six years, was one of the speakers against the proposed mall. “I take my youngest daughter to the school bus every day and I see the traffic zooming by — people already not stopping for the bus. That section is already plugged, they are going to potentially use that route and increase traffic for shoppers; how are our children going to be safe on that road?

“But there was a big problem here. Most people who wanted to hear anything or say anything, you couldn’t. I had to stand way back there by the door (to the street). How is that fair to have such a large hearing only in this area? They really blocked peoples’ voices and they are downplaying the democracy.”

The meeting had started with North Kildonan councillor Jeff Browaty stepping forward and asking that the meeting be moved to a larger room to accommodate all the residents who wished to hear and be heard. His request was quashed by the meeting’s chairman Bruce Henley, also the mayor of West St. Paul.

“I sympathize, and if I had the solution to move you to a larger chamber, I certainly would. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability to do that right now,” Henley said, noting there was an obligation to the developer under the planning act to allow the presentation to be made, as members of the crowd loudly jeered their disapproval. “Unfortunately we had no way of determining how many people would show up.”

Henley could only explain to the crowd that the purpose of the public hearing was “to discuss and consider is this site appropriate for commercial development.”

He said the public hearing and the decision to allow or disallow the amendment to the East St. Paul development plan to change the zoning designation on the 47-acre parcel of land is the first in a series of steps that would be necessary before the project could go ahead.

In his presentation, David Major, the land development manager for SmartCentres from Richmond, B.C. referred to “four direct access points” to the proposed development from “collector-level roadways” including truck traffic from an extension of Gateway Road, Maxwell King Drive (west of the site), Raleigh Street and Den Vries Avenue from Lagimodiere.

He described future road developments, mentioning the Gateway Road corridor has been earmarked by the City of Winnipeg as a future rapid transit route — which drew gasps from the crowd — as well as a proposed roundabout on Gateway Road at Sun Valley Drive.

Though it has been rampantly speculated Walmart would anchor the mall, Major said “no tenants have been confirmed at this time, nor have any leases been executed.”

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPAshleyPrest