A public hearing brought out a couple of concerned residents to the Penhold town council meeting on Sept. 24.
The public hearing was to get input on a bylaw to change the zoning of an area of urban reserve district land to low density small lot residential district.
The land is for Phase 1 of the Palisades development by Laebon in the south end of Penhold. The first phase would attach to the Park Place development at Mann Drive.
“This is consistent with our municipal development plan,” said Trisha Willis, the town's development officer.
Marlene Lamb noted she lives near the Highway 2A access and Boundary Road, so while she felt she will be impacted by the development, she was not notified as she's not adjacent.
She brought up concerns about drainage and the collector road, asking why a part of Boundary Road has been closed and a construction trailer put on it.
She was concerned proper drainage isn't being planned.
“Nobody can guarantee we're not going to have problems,” she said.
Mayor Dennis Cooper said Laebon has plans to address drainage issues, including a stormwater management pond that will be a part of the development.
She asked if the road was actually closed or not and heard that matter would be before council after the public hearing. She said the road was still taxpayers' property and questioned why Laebon is able to park its construction trailer there.
“I don't see why one person gets privileges,” she said.
Rick Binnendyk, the town's chief administrative officer, said it's permissible if people get permission.
Sandra Newton told council she's concerned the new residences will be sitting on a flood plain and it will back up. Cooper said there is a drainage plan in place.
Steve Bontje, the chief operating officer for Laebon, was at the meeting and told the attendees these concerns are being looked at. He said Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development has reviewed and signed off on their plan for Phase 1.
During the regular meeting, second and third readings of the bylaw to change the zoning were passed unanimously by council, with Coun. Heather Klein absent.
Next up was the road closure bylaw, which passed first reading. Binnendyk said the second and third readings wouldn't be for quite some time as the process to close a part of Boundary Road includes the provincial government.
He said the bylaw is just formalizing something that's essentially already in place.
“It's been closed for some time,” he said. However, this will legally close the road.
The closure will take place from the road allowance at the east edge of the future Palisades development to just past Mann Drive.
“It's a legal road closure but not a physical road closure all at once,” said Coun. Danielle Klooster. Binnendyk added chunks of the section would be closed and then reopened.
