MELFORT — Seven residents of Creekside Community in Melfort attended the council to show opposition to a motion to change a bylaw which would affect the layout of lots in their community.
Currently the developer at Creekside Community is going over plans to turn five lots at Creekside Community into ten lots, each being half an acre.
The city intended to review the second and third reading of an amendment to the zoning bylaw at council on Dec. 10, which would allow this development to take place.
“The developer wished to do an adjustment to that and re-subdivide,” said Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor. “These lots have existed since the subdivision was built, but there has been no action from the purchaser on it.”
Some of these residents expressed they only learned about these plans regarding their community recently.
“Some of the citizens who live out there heard about it and felt they didn’t have time to react,” Lang said.
The mayor said it’s the first time council has heard opposition to the plan, which is why it’s delaying the decision to the next meeting so it can get more information from both sides.
Lydia Steffen was one Creekside resident who spoke at the meeting in opposition.
“It’s literally taking five lots and putting in a service road and dividing it into 10 sub lots,” Steffen said. “It becomes a new community within our community.”
Steffen wants the original idea of her community to stay the same
“When we purchased the lot at Creekside acres we were promised acreage living, so they’re larger lots,” Steffen said. “So any subdivision would just change that vision we were promised.”
“The thing is, what did we buy? We bought acre lots in an estate in Melfort within city limits and you pay a stipend when you buy those lots. And then two, four or five years later change it to something completely different.”
Steffen has faith that her and her other community members’ concerns will be addressed.
“I’m sure he will address our concerns and we’re all neighbors.”
Lang said council will have to look at both sides, as there’s a community that’s under an assumption on how their neighbourhood should look and a developer that wants to challenge those assumptions. He said council will have to be fair to everybody if possible.
