Committee nixes 3810 Roblin proposal

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This article was published 19/01/2022 (1515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City council’s Assiniboia community committee held its first meeting of the year on Jan. 7.

To kick off the day, public service member Kendall Thiessen reported the city had added two public access points to the Assiniboine River along Wellington Crescent between Doncaster Street and Lamont Boulevard in September 2021. The two gravel riverbank access points connect the upper bank to the water, but are not fully accessible.

Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) introduced a motion requesting the city create a digital map identifying public riverbank lands and ‘signed’ river and creek access points.

The motion was put forward on the grounds of habitat preservation, the recent addition of new access points, and a spike in residents using the river year-round. The public service must report back to the committee in 90 days.

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The committee unanimously approved Lukes’ motion to make it easier for volunteers to plant trees on city property. The corresponding city departments will report back on the issue.
“I know hundreds of people that want to plant trees, but get chewed up in the bureaucratic red tape,” Lukes said.

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Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) appointed four new members to the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia board. Barry Hillman and Judith de Lange are among the new members who will serve on the board until Dec. 23, 2023.

“It’s been really challenging for all of these groups to figure out how to continue with their service delivery during COVID, and so we just take a moment to thank all of the men and women working so hard day in and day out to serve our city as volunteers,” Coun. Gillingham (St. James) said.

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During the public hearing portion of the meeting, committee members unanimously approved a rezoning and variance request for 2735 and 2737 Pembina Hwy.

The proposed eight-storey building would see 181 one, two, and three-bedroom units, 158 vehicle parking stalls (a ratio of 0.87 stalls per unit), 54 bike stalls, and an indoor bike locker.

“I think it’s an ideal project for Pembina Highway,” Lukes said.

The proposal was forwarded to the executive policy committee.

The lion’s share of the day’s meeting was dedicated to the development application for 3810 Roblin Blvd. Council heard from more than a half dozen residents who spoke out against the proposal, citing loss of green space and parking congestion as their main concerns.

“I find the plans that I have seen are lacking detail,” Gillingham said.

Klein put forward a motion to spike the plan as is, triggering a one-year period during which developers can create a revised site plan and conduct a more comprehensive consultation with the surrounding community. Gillingham voted in favour of the motion; Lukes voted against it. The motion was carried.

“When changing a unique piece of property, it requires unique engagement, at the very least, full engagement, and that obviously didn’t occur at this time,” Klein said.