By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Petty Harbour Council has approved in principle three separate applications to build houses on the Motion Bay Road Extension.
The decision was made at council’s April 6 regular meeting, but not without some reservations.
Council approved applications for 41-45 Motion Bay Road Extension, 51-59 Motion Bay Road Extension and 30 Motion Bay Road Extension – all with conditions that included signed legal agreements about the width, condition and standard of Motion Bay Road Extension, as well as acknowledgement of no Town commitment to any future upgrades, as well as limitations on services, among other caveats.
The council motions state the agreements are necessary to protect the Town’s interests, ensure public safety and manage impacts on public infrastructure.
Councillor Kayla Parsons, who made the motions, said she is pro-development and supports reduction of red tape and other barriers. However, she added council has a responsibility that goes beyond any single application or short-term decision.
“We have to carefully consider the financial impact on the Town, the economic sustainability of our decisions, the environmental implications and the long-term obligations that we place not only on ourselves, but on all residents,” Parsons said, adding that something as significant as a road is not a simple or inexpensive undertaking considering the level of planning, engineering, and financial analysis required.
“It would not be prudent for us to make commitments today that we may not be able to support tomorrow at the same time,” Parsons said. “I do believe it is fair that property owners should have the opportunity to develop their land. This motion is an attempt to strike that balance to allow reasonable development to proceed while being transparent about the current limitations and protecting the Town from obligations we are not yet in a position to take on.”
A public consultation meeting was held March 30 on two of the applications. The third application, for Lot 30, was submitted after the meeting was called and was not included in the public consultation.
The public consultation also centred around a 2018 amendment to the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Town Plan and Development Regulations, which removed restrictions for development on the Motion Bay Road Extension.
Mayor Ed Dyke said he doesn’t understand the rationale for council’s change at the time and believes the resulting regulations should have better protected the Town. He said replacement costs are not well defined in the regulations for future councils to go by.
“In my opinion it should not have been done without better descriptions and limitations. I think it was the wrong decision at that time,” Dyke said. “This council should, over the next few years, update this policy again. This is my opinion.”
Dyke outlined how the Town approached the provincial government in recent years for a cost-sharing grant that was obtained exclusively to protect the water main of Maddox Cove and not upgrade the Motion Bay Road Extension to Town standards.
“There’s nowhere in the provincial government grant that states, that I’m aware of, that Motion Bay Road Extension was to be brought up to Town standards, to the best of my knowledge,” said the mayor.
Dyke said the Town paid an additional $6,000 to get the road extension up to its current standard by adding crushed stone.
The motion also outlined how applicants must submit a drainage plan signed by a qualified engineer, receive approval from the appropriate provincial authority for all on-site sewage and disposal systems, and that any future upgrades or improvements to the Motion Bay Road Extension may be funded through a Local Improvement Fee and subject to the adoption of a formal council bylaw.
