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Council approves development permit for St. Mary Lake Road

The proponent hopes to subdivide their property into seven residential parcels.
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Kimberley City Council has approved a development permit for a proposed subdivision on St. Mary Lake Road.

Manager of Planning Services Troy Pollock explained at a regular Council meeting on Monday that the applicant is requesting to subdivide the 22 acre property into seven different residential lots.

The property is located east of the Kimberley Riverside Campground and Homesteads development areas between St. Mary Lake Road and the St. Mary River. It is also located immediately west of lands that were recently developed to create four large residential parcels from lands formerly part of the Kimberley Golf Club holdings.

“Approximately five acres of the property is proposed to be designated as park and protected from the development,” said Pollock. “The proposed park designation is immediately adjacent and upslope of existing park dedication along the St. Mary River, accessible from St. Mary Lake Road and provides opportunities to connect with the trail network along the ricer and adjacent Nature Park/Sunflower Hill trails.”

He adds that five of the proposed lots would be be accessed from St. Mary Lake Road and two accessed by a shared private driveway from Sunflower Drive. All of the lots would be connected to the municipal water supply.

Similar to the development next door however, the land owner is proposing not to tie into the municipal sewer system, but rather run off the use of on-site wastewater systems, Pollock says. Neighbours will now be notified of the request which will come back to Council at a later date.

There are some conditions before the applicant can continue to move forward with the building permit process.

“This is part of the wildfire hazard area, so part of the requirements for that is to obtain a Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Threat Assessment. The area and properties will have to be assessed, and treatment will be recommended for fuels management to help lower the risk and hazard on site,” explained Pollock.

He adds that the slope and type of terrain require a higher level geotechnical assessment.

“A report has found that there are suitable areas for house building and that each of the seven lots has suitable terrain,” Pollock said. “Depending on the final chosen locations of those lots, and where they choose to build the houses, there might need to be site-specific geotechnical assessment, but the overall report shows it is suitable for development as proposed.”

Councillor Kent Goodwin asked if the entire property is accessed through private driveways, or if there is a City road that will need to be maintained. He also asked about access for both the fire department and fire hydrant locations.

Pollock says that the entire property is accessed via private drive, and the City will not be responsible for the maintenance of those roads.

“Fire access and fire hydrants will have to be part of the final design, they will have to ensure that there is adequate access for both,” said Pollock.

Councillor Albert Hoglund asked about the wastewater plan, stating that it might be worth it to tie into the City’s sewer line.

“Similar to the development adjacent, it’s challenging to do especially with the upper lots,” said Pollock. “It would require a lift station, and would need to flow all the way back to the campground to the main line. It would be super expensive to build.”

Councillor Darryl Oakley asked how they can guarantee wastewater will not impact river system and ecology of that area.

“The process there requires a professional assessment and certified design of the septic system. When each lot is built there are further design and details required for each system, which will be reviewed with the building permit application,” Pollock said.

Oakley also brought up the fact that the area in question is an “active wildlife corridor”.

Pollock reiterated that there is 6 acres designated for park space throughout the property, allowing wildlife movement and possible future connection to other trails in the area.



Corey Bullock

About the Author: Corey Bullock

Corey Bullock is a multimedia journalist and writer who grew up in Burlington, Ontario.
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