By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tyler Waugh
Another housing application was denied by Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove council at its September 21 public meeting due to the sub-standard nature of the road on which the development would have been located.
The proposal to build a four-unit townhouse at 41-45 and 51-59 Motion Bay Road Extension came a month after council received legal advice stating the Town cannot issue housing permits because the road is not up to municipal standards
Councillors reiterated that point during deliberation of the latest application.
“The committee has reviewed the application and the long history of development inquiries for the Motion Bay Road Extension,” said councillor Kayla Parsons, who chairs the development committee. “At this time the committee is not able to recommend approval as Motion Bay Road Extension is not built or maintained as a municipal road and its current condition does not meet the minimum access requirements set out in the Town’s development regulations.”
Parsons added that while the regulations do not list minimum engineering standards, they do stipulate that streets must be designed for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians and be accessible for fire department and other emergency vehicles.
“Motion Bay Road Extension is a narrow gravel road that is only passable by one vehicle at a time and lacks municipal infrastructure such as an engineered road base, adequate width and street lighting,” she said.
Parsons also pointed out that council needs to ensure that municipal services can be safely delivered, and that is not the case at this time. She noted that in a typical development scenario where a road is not up to municipal standards, the developer is responsible for bringing it up to standard before transferring it to the Town for maintenance.
“In this case no proposal has been submitted to upgrade Motion Bay Road (Extension) as part of the development,” Parsons said, adding later the application was also missing required supporting documents. “Council understands the applicant’s desire to proceed with development in the area, and we recognize the potential value this project could bring to the community. However, as the situation currently stands, council’s hands are tied.”
The application was defeated, with only councillor Todd Chafe voting in favour of it.
Numbers 41-45 and 51-59 Motion Bay Road Extension were among three properties that had received conditional approvals for housing development rescinded at the August 25 public meeting based upon the legal counsel received by the Town.
Members of council apologized at the time for its reversal and at the September 21 meeting passed a motion to send a letter of apology. Deputy Mayor Irene Stack said it is their responsibility to be accountable for a process that dates back to 2018. Council amended the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Town Plan and Development Regulations at that time, removing restrictions for development that prompted property owners to prepare to build housing, without ensuring the road was ready.
Council has directed staff to conduct title searches to ensure the Town has full title required to make any changes to Motion Bay Road Extension. It also passed a motion to source an engineering quote for an assessment of what’s needed to turn the gravel portion of Motion Bay Road Extension into a one-way street. A third motion directed staff to develop a road standards policy.
