All Sections All Sections Winnipeg Free Press
Your Balance +tax Your Balance +tax

January 23, 2021

Winnipeg
-11° C, Overcast

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Canstar Community News
  • The Herald
  • The Lance
  • The Sou'wester
  • The Metro
  • The Times
  • The Headliner
  • Sports
  • Correspondents
  • Columns
  • Contact Us
  • E-Editions
  • Publications
  • Building Unity: Our Community Centres

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Residents disappointed by rezoning approval

Sydney Hildebrandt By: Sydney Hildebrandt
Posted: 04/20/2020 11:27 AM

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/4/2020 (277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A contentious development application is moving forward in the RM of West St. Paul.

Last fall Terracon Development submitted a proposal to municipal council to build 36 single-family lots along River Springs Drive.

Henry Bakker is the spokesperson for the River Springs Residents Committee, a group that has been actively opposing a development application in West St. Paul.

CANSTAR FILE PHOTO BY SYDNEY HILDEBRANDT

Henry Bakker is the spokesperson for the River Springs Residents Committee, a group that has been actively opposing a development application in West St. Paul.

River Springs Drive is about one-kilometre long and is similar in shape to a cul-de-sac. Forty-two houses line the north side of the street, and to the south is the land Terracon is hoping to develop. It is now covered in oak trees estimated by an arborist to be at least 200 years old.

Terracon stumbled into a rocky patch when its rezoning application caught the attention of local residents.

At the helm of the River Springs Residents Committee is Henry Bakker. In November 2019, his group cited traffic congestion, safety, tree and animal habitat loss, and impact on neighbourhood character as concerns associated with the application.

The group claimed the developer’s proposal did not align with the Middlechurch Secondary Plan, a document that governs development in the area. Residents were also concerned the proposed lots resembled infill housing, were too narrow and had limited parking space, which they believed would result in parked vehicles along the narrow street.

Homeowners signed a petition opposing the development. A public hearing was held over two nights, and there was enough objection from residents that the application was sent to the Red River Planning District Board for an appeal hearing on Feb. 19. The board rejected the appeal.

The application was returned to WSP council where it received third reading and final rezoning approval on March 23.

WSP mayor Cheryl Christian said the process has included unprecedented public engagement, with two open houses, changes made to the proposal based on community feedback, and door-to-door visits from the developer.

"I know it’s controversial and residents have concerns, but the developer did everything that they could to address those concerns and work with residents to find some common ground and compromise," Christian said.

According to the mayor, the developer increased the lot sizes twice to accommodate residents, with the latest application proposing that more than half the lots measure 144 feet long by 60 feet wide.

Terracon has also offered to save as many trees as possible and replant 33 per cent more than required in the respective bylaw, she said.

"I think the final product is going to be a beautiful development, welcoming new people to our community, saving as many trees as we can which was a big concern for residents, and having a safe neighbourhood. All of their concerns have been taken into consideration," Christian said.

But Bakker, whose residents committee retained legal counsel and a professional planner for their fight against the application, disagrees.

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

Bakker, who has lived on River Springs Drive for seven years, said the proposed lot sizes are still too small.

"Yes, they’ve made changes, but they have not met our expectations," he said.

"The closest thing we got from (council) was that in the development agreement they will attempt to satisfy our concerns but cautioned us that many of them were not possible … We have little confidence that they’re actually going to respect what our expectations are and what is actually permitted in the governing regulations."

The residents committee has submitted a letter to minister of municipal relations Rochelle Squires, and to local MLA Shannon Martin outlining its concerns.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christian said, a timeline for the remainder of the development process has not been determined, but expects Terracon will begin the development agreement process soon.

Terracon Development did not respond to a request for comment before press time.

Sydney Hildebrandt

Sydney Hildebrandt
The Times community journalist

If The Buggles’ 1979 breakout single were about Sydney, it might be called Print Killed the Radio Star. Before she joined Canstar Community News, Sydney was an anchor and a reporter for a few local news radio stations in rural Manitoba. After realizing she enjoyed writing more than speaking, Sydney moved to Winnipeg just months after graduating from Carleton University in Ottawa with degrees in journalism and geography. Through clenched teeth and frostbitten fingers, she has come to appreciate Winnipeg — numbing winters and all. When she’s not in the newsroom, Sydney can be found playing card games, listening to music, and writing content for her friends who are too cheap to hire a PR team. Sydney has a strong heart for community news and believes every neighbourhood, town and city is better off because of it — although she may be biased. Sydney loves learning about communities and what makes them tick, which is why she’s grateful to be a reporter covering northwest Winnipeg neighbourhoods, where resilience and innovation is abundant. She can be reached at sydney.hildebrandt@canstarnews.com

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top