By Craig Westcott
CBS council has appointed a commissioner to hold a public hearing into plans to amend the Town Plan to allow for more housing on Rectory Road in Topsail.
The hearing is set for May 13 at the Town Hall but will be cancelled if council receives no written submissions up to two days prior to the date.
"This property on Rectory Road is the remaining undeveloped portion of a larger property," said Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley. "Six lots have been subdivided from the property and two single dwellings have been built and two more are under construction. The developer indicates the remaining property will be subdivided into four lots with two lots each fronting on Rectory Road."
The area is located near St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church and once belonged to the Anglican Diocesan Synod of Newfoundland and Labrador. The 1.9-acre parcel of land is full of mature trees and at least one old path that runs down a grassy slope from Rectory Road emerging onto Topsail Road across from the soccer pitch. The developer applied to the Town last year asking to rezone the land from Public to Residential Low Density. In order to approve the application, council needs to make an amendment to the development regulations, a process which includes an opportunity for public comment and examination by a commissioner, all of which is covered by the applicant. Retired architect Glenn Barnes will serve as the commissioner.
