Concerns About Proposed Rothesay Development

A number of Rothesay residents are raising concerns about a proposed 55-lot development in their own backyard.

Town council held a virtual public hearing Tuesday evening to hear from residents about the Sagamore Heights subdivision.

The planned development would be located on more than 31 acres of vacant land in Sagamore Point, in the area of Maliseet Drive and River Road.

“This proposed subdivision meets all the current bylaw requirements of Rothesay and it requires no variances,” said Mayor Nancy Grant at the start of the meeting.

“No public hearing is necessary for this. This public meeting was requested by council to hear the residents concerns, but it is not a public hearing.”

Dozens Of Comments Received

Council and town staff received more than 70 questions and comments from individuals over the past several weeks.

More than a dozen residents who live near the proposed development spoke during the 90-minute meeting held virtually through Webex.

An overwhelming majority of them raised concerns about the impact of increased water runoff from the new homes.

Brian Johnston believes runoff will go through the back of his Maliseet Drive property toward an existing ditch out front.

“That has been a chronic issue of stagnant water since I purchased the property over 20 years ago that potentially will be made considerably worse by this development,” Johnston told council.

Johnston and others stressed the importance of completing a stormwater management plan to see where the water is going and how it is going to be assessed.

As part of the proposed developers agreement, the developers must hire an engineering firm to prepare a stormwater management plan to address runoff.

Pat Shea, who is developing the project with Ted Harley, said work is already taking place to understand the elevation of the property.

“The town engineer will then review any and all our recommendations and suggest and approve or not approve things that we may not see or something the town may have planned in the future,” said Shea.

“They will cost a lot of money for us to do but we are willing and are going to do them to address these concerns.”

Green Space, Traffic Concerns

A lack of green space as part of the development was also brought up by a number of residents in attendance.

The subdivision plan includes a 1/4 acre neighbourhood playground park, but Claudia Hughes feels that is not enough.

“Words such as ‘green canopy,’ ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmentally progressive’ should be more than just phrases in a document,” said Hughes, referring to the town’s draft municipal plan. “This project should be a benchmark for modern suburban design which would have numerous green spaces, not just this small quarter of an acre.”

Ann MacPhail questioned why Rothesay would allow a 55-lot development when the draft municipal plan suggests the town’s population will drop by 20 per cent over the next 15 years.

“Those people all presumably live in a house,” MacPhail said. “All those are gonna be up for sale.”

Jamie Bunker, who has a four-year-old, raised concerns about increased traffic volume as a result of the new development.

“In the summertime when it’s nice and warm and sunny out and on a Saturday, that road is already very busy. I can’t even imagine what it would be like with that much more traffic.

“I was a little disappointed to see that, under reassessment, the town still felt there was no need for additional traffic study.”

Many Still In Support

Despite their concerns, many residents who spoke at the meeting said they support the development.

Meanwhile, Johnston said the development will provide access to high-quality building lots in an area of town that was contemplated for development in the 1970s.

“The difference is with this project, it now meets today’s higher standards for development,” he said.

“We do understand that some people will always want things to stay 100 per cent the way that they were, but this is not how a healthy and vibrant town progresses.”

Town staff will now assemble a report, including any recommended changes, for January’s council meeting.

If approved, developers hope to begin construction during the winter. It would be completed in six phases over the next six to eight years, depending on market conditions.