BEAVER BANK: A development application for an apartment building in Beaver Bank has been denied following discussion at North West Community Council.
At the meeting on Jan. 16 at Beaver Bank-Kinsac Community Centre, community residents had their chance to voice their concerns to NWCC councillors. They did that is droves.
Many spoke about the need for an alternate route for Beaver Bank as traffic concerns were raised for several decades. In the 90’s the Beaver Bank Bypass was to intersect on the proposed property for the ‘Sackville Expressway’.
The land was expropriated, the house moved, and then environmental conditions cancelled that project. Adjacent lands became what is now Second Lake Regional Park.
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At the end of the night, NWCC voted to deny the application from AG Property Holdings for the application.
The reasons for the denial as cited by NWCC was lack of traffic infrastructure; compatibility in the community; and lack of need amenities.
However, despite the application being denied by NWCC, the developer has 14 days to appeal the decision to the N.S. Utility and Review Board.
This means it could still go ahead because of the provincial increase in housing requirements.
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Councillor Lisa Blackburn, who represents Beaver Bank 9and lives in the community), said it was a great meeting with plenty of community input.
“Although I like the design of the building and recognize the need for housing, there are concerns about the location and the impact on traffic,” she told The Laker News.
She said at this moment there are four apartment buildings planned for Beaver Bank Road and all of them are “by right” developments. Plus another 240 houses are being built “by right” in Carriagewood Subdivision behind Trinity Drive.
“All those “by right” developments will contribute to more traffic on Beaver Bank Road,” she said. “We need to see what the impact those will have before adding another 46 units through a Development Agreement.”
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As well, the owner is not Holy Trinity Pastoral Unit, as it was purchased by AG Property Holdings.
Blackburn said there was a good conversation about the traffic on Beaver Bank Road and the status of traffic lights at Windgate.
“I told the crowd there are no immediate plans for lights or a roundabout and made it clear that Transport Canada are holding us back because they own the gates/lights at the intersection,” said Blackburn.
She said it felt good to have a in person town hall meeting.
“Since Covid, Beaver Bank has not been able to hold a Town Hall meeting, so it felt like a good old fashioned community meeting,” she said.
