Controversial Rothesay Development Approved By Council

A proposed subdivision in the Hillside neighbourhood of Rothesay has been approved by council.

Phase one of the project, dubbed Rothesay Hills, would see 14 homes built in the area of Dunedin Road and Higginson Avenue.

But several residents raised concerns about the development at a public meeting held in August.

Many of those who spoke during the meeting expressed concern about traffic and the current state of roads in the neighbourhood.

Josh Hennessy said the area may not currently be busy with vehicle traffic, but it is with pedestrian traffic.

“I estimate there were 20 children under the age of nine that use this road daily and I can confirm that, within the last 150 metres of Horton Road, there are at least eight children under the age of seven,” Hennessy told council.

Hennessy is worried an increase in traffic could put pedestrians at risk, especially with a lack of sidewalks in some areas.

In a staff report to council, town manager John Jarvie acknowledged the concerns that were raised by residents.

“Adding 14 homes is, in staff’s professional opinion, a negligible increase to an already extremely low volume of traffic on these public streets,” Jarvie wrote in the report.

Jarvie said Dunedin Road is a steep street with negotiable turns that require special attention for winter maintenance.

The town is cognizant of that, he said, and council made the decision to install sidewalks on some of the steepest portions of the street.

Jarvie said further phases will require alternative access to the existing steep streets, adding recommendations for road work in 2023 can be anticipated during the upcoming budget preparation process.

There are plans to extend Wiljac Street and connect it to Fox Farm Road, but not until later phases of the development.

“While public opinion differs from staff’s advice regarding traffic concerns, it is the professional opinion of staff that there is insufficient reason to refuse the application based on traffic issue,” wrote Jarvie.

Other concerns, which were also addressed in Jarvie’s report, include stormwater runoff from the proposed development, and impacts on water quality and supply. You can view the full report by clicking here.

On Monday, council authorized the mayor and clerk to enter into a development agreement with MR Investments Ltd. for the development of the subdivision.

Stephen Maltby, owner and operator of MR Investments, previously told council that he expects construction will take about three to four years.