MELFORT — After opposition from the neighbourhood, Melfort City Council unanimously stopped a rezoning proposal that would allow duplexes near the corner of Shadd Drive and Orr Drive.
People living in the neighbourhood said they bought their single-family dwellings with the expectation that future nearby development would be the same. They were concerned duplexes would lower their property values.
“I think that right now the city is really lacking in R2 properties – or places for duplexes to be built; however, after considering everything that we had to look at, I will be voting against this,” said Coun. April Phillips at the May 7 meeting. “I feel that this particular area is not the right place.”
“I’m going to vote against this also, the reason being is when people bought those lots, they bought private residential,” said Coun. Glenn George. “We need R2, fine and dandy, but that is not the right place for it.”
Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor, said after the meeting all of council was all on the same page. He said there’s a need for more R2 zoning in the city but the locations need to be planned in advance, not placed in areas that would change the nature of the surrounding neighbourhood.
“In cases where we want to incorporate R2 zoning in the future, I think we’ll have to do it as part of the initial plan, make sure that it’s publicized that R2 is going to happen in that area,” he said, adding that once that’s done people who buy land there will know exactly how the nearby area will be developed.
Redevelopment delay
Council also told city staff to hold off redeveloping a parcel of land on the corner of Matilda Street and 3rd Avenue South containing a civic tennis court until a replacement was ready.
Coun. Trent Mitchell said it would be a mistake to remove the tennis court and not have a place for children to play, especially if the land remained empty. The replacement, to be located on Broadway Avenue South, is expected to be ready in August or September.
Lang said the delay in redeveloping the parcel to prepare it for new homes won’t have much of an impact.
“The reality is there’s nothing there for sale right now because those lots aren’t serviced for residential. The thought was we’d start servicing those immediately and then follow up with the new tennis court,” he said. “All this is going to do is delay the ability of those four lots for a short period of time until the new tennis courts are developed.”
McDonald’s delayed
Those wanting to eat from the golden arches will have to wait longer.
In February 2017, McDonald’s announced it would build a restaurant in the StoneGate complex in the south of the city. The thought back then was they could start construction in 2018.
“Last we’ve heard, they’re planning on building McDonald’s, starting construction in early 2019,” Lang said.
Plan input
The city is also planning to reveal its new official community plan to the public at this week’s Chase the Ace.
The meeting will begin at the Melfort Legion Hall May 10 at around 5 p.m.
Lang said the new plan, which will show how the city plans to develop over the next few decades, has been in the works for a while.
“The old community plan is ancient,” he said. “It’s outdated and it needs to be updated.”
The city is looking for public input for the plan.
