ESTEVAN — Verity Developments faced questions about the proposed development in northwest Estevan during an open house Aug. 1 at the Nicholson Centre.
Justin Nixon from Verity spent about 90 minutes providing background on Verity and the proposed residential development, and answering questions from approximately 25 people in attendance. Signs were set up throughout the room that provided information on the project.
He said Verity is the development arm of Estevan's Sector 1 Construction, and the company wants to see Estevan grow. Verity is partnering with Essex Developments for a proposed multi-family residential project in the Meadows subdivision that would see six or seven 12-plex complexes built on the north side of Wellock Road, between Sister Roddy Road and Devine Road/Irvine Crescent. All of the units would be rentals.
But for the project to proceed, it would require the green light from Estevan city council to rezone 25 single-family residential parcels fronting Wellock Road into the six or seven multi-family parcels. Council gave first reading to the rezoning bylaw at a special meeting July 18; second reading is scheduled for the Aug. 11 council meeting, and if it is approved, third reading could follow that night.
"We're looking to put up some higher-end rentals in a 12-plex," said Nixon. "Each unit would have its own entrance. There would not be a common area."
Verity hopes the buildings would match the area, with higher-end exterior finishes and variations in the designs.
But people who reside in the area used the open house to voice their concerns. Some of them said they weren't opposed to the 12-plexes; they just thought units should be built behind the 25 single-family residential units, as per the subdivision's current design.
Others suggested building the units in another area of the city zoned for multi-family residential properties.
"I am not against this, but I am not okay with the development changing just to appease the developer," said one person.
Another person present said they purchased a lot where they did because of the initial plan of the Meadows.
Nixon countered that if the 12-plexes were developed in their current proposed location, they wouldn't be able to develop them until a new sewer trunk line comes in from the waste water treatment plant.
"They're putting in a temporary stop gap as of right now, so we can't actually do anything beyond these 25 lots until that's done. We don't know. Hypothetically it could be a year. It could be three," he said.
Others are concerned with the impact the development would have on traffic in the area, especially with the new Pebbles to Rocks Daycare set to be constructed on Wellock Road as well.
It was also pointed out that at the time of the open house, there weren't any single-family houses built after 1990 available in Estevan. Land development service manager Richard Neufeld pointed out there are some lots for single-family units available for development in the city, including on Sillers Street, Hawkes Bay and others.
Others wanted to know why there was a push for this development to proceed now, when it appears this has been in the works for most of the year.
Others were more vocal in their opposition, with one person calling for a referendum on the project.
Nixon said Verity needed to know the project would be financially viable before it could proceed.
"That process takes time, and it took a lot longer than we anticipated, going through that process and getting all the numbers together," said Nixon.
Verity hopes to have shovels in the ground this fall, he said, and it hopes to open in late spring or early summer for the initial units, which would be closer to Sister Roddy Road. He told the crowd they have 15 people already interested.
"We truly feel that with what happened with SaskPower, we truly feel there's going to be demand that quick. If we can't get shovels in the ground until spring, we're not going to be done until the end of fall," said Nixon.
After the questions-and-answer time, Nixon said Verity was taking notes on how they could adjust the project. He believes legitimate concerns were brought up.
"We did talk to different people in the area. Originally, we were going to have parking off of Wellock. We got rid of that. We put everything in the back … of the building to keep it a nice, clean, sidewalk only on the front of the building to help bring down the strain on Wellock that is going to increase because of the day care."
The open house was one of the requirements before the Aug. 11 meeting, and some at the meeting voiced frustration with the timing, since it was at the start of the August long weekend. Nixon admitted to the crowd it was the only night he was available.
Verity will continue to reach out to individuals in the area who have concerns about the rezoning, especially those in Hawkes Bay and Irvine Crescent.
