Funding for community projects approved

Transcona

North Kildonan

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/05/2023 (1054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The East Kildonan-Transcona community committee met on May 23, though Coun. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) was absent, leading to a number of items being held over until June.

A $900 per capita grant was approved for Valley Gardens Community Centre’s family fun day on June 24, with funds split evenly between the three wards, along with a $2,000 per capita grant from the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward to help with costs for Happy Days on Henderson, which is to be held on June 10.

In addition, the committee approved its semi-annual summary of delegated authority to award per capita, land dedication, and community incentive grants outside of community committee meetings between July 1 and December 31, 2022, which included $250,000 from Transcona’s land dedication reserve for Buhler Recreation Park improvements and a $99,438 community incentive grant from North Kildonan’s allocation for community enhancements at John Pritchard School, among others.

Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) made a motion to eliminate the delegation of authority over such items, preferring to deal with them at committee meetings in the future.

“I don’t think it’s a wise thing to delegate authority,” Wyatt said. “Over time, you get less ownership. It’s public funds. We’re approving these at public meetings. With that comes public knowledge.”

A public hearing was started regarding a combined subdivision and rezoning application for 329 McIvor Ave., in order to divide one vacant large, single-family lot into ten large, single-family lots arranged in the shape of a bay. Variance included reducing lot widths on some lots to 60 feet rather than 67, as well as total square-footage on a number of lots. A subdivision had previously been approved for the lot in 2003, but never completed.

An arborists report noted that 97 of the lot’s current 280 trees would be removed, while the remaining 183 should be protected during construction.

Neighbour Rahn Heinz spoke in opposition to the subdivision, claiming to have been involved in previous development proposals for the neighbouring properties, though he and his family are no longer involved in the current proposal.

“The variances requested today would not be needed if the land we own was connected with this proposal,” he said, adding that this project would devalue his family’s land, making it “undevelopable.”

The matter was laid over until June, with Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) urging the two parties to try to come up with a solution to their dispute.

“I’m happy to see there’s finally interest in this property, but perhaps we should take a brief pause to look at this more,” Browaty said.

An application for a variance at 599 Washington Ave. was also heard, which had previously been rezoned for small density multifamily. However, a reduced rear-yard variance was missed at the initial application in 2022. The application was approved, but Wyatt urged the applicant to improve on the proposed design before coming for plan approval.

Wyatt also made a motion for the public service to look into twinning sections of Plessis Road, Dugald Road, and Concordia Avenue East, and a motion for applicants to attend public hearings regarding their applications.