INNISFAIL – Dixie McLeod stared out from in front of her house to the forest in front of her and marvelled at the beauty and tranquility she always experiences.
There is a forest just beyond a fence to the left, and grasslands to the right.
“We've done some walks out in the open part,” said McLeod, a well known and respected local social worker. “Right straight through here on the side of the clearing there's a mama fox in her den and you see her and her babies come in and out, and there is a horse back in there.”
It’s a natural serene wonderland she’s known for nine years at the end of 54th Avenue; a dead end street in the town’s southwest corner that begins 100 metres north off a 120 degree curve from 36A Street.
But beyond the fence at the end of 54th Avenue is just over 99 acres of land that has been earmarked for development since 1982.
Since 1989 the Woodlands Area Structure Plan (WASP) has called for the property to be a prime area in town for residential development.
The property has been owned by Laebon Developments Ltd. since 2008.
In 2014 Laebon proposed a plan that would ultimately see development up to 54th Avenue but no connecting road.
However, an amended plan was presented to town council earlier this year that called for a connector road to join the dead end street.
The new plan for the development’s opening phase envisions 38 new homes, which many believe will create a dramatic increase in two-way traffic via the connector to and from 54th Avenue, 36A Street and 37th Street all the way east to 52nd Avenue.
McLeod and her neighbours learned about the details of the plan at an open house in April.
They all new that encroaching development would eventually happen but not as quickly as 2023 or even a few years after. The 2014 plan called for a phasing plan that would take many years before development encroached their properties.
However, this year’s amended plan changed everything. Their wonderland along the dead end street appeared to be in peril.
“We thought we have found the perfect place to raise our family. It was a dead end road; little to no traffic, beautiful scenery with a forest next door, and no plans to build anytime soon right beside us,” said Aaron Wahl, a 54th Avenue resident who lives directly across from McLeod. “We understand that eventually there will be houses next door. But it was most likely going to take decades to get there.
“I am asking that you allow us the peace and quiet that we all signed up for,” Wahl implored Innisfail town council on June 12. “I would also ask that you keep our end of the street a dead end road.”
McLeod and others joined together to knock on the doors of at least 50 residences all the way up to 52nd Avenue.
She said there was unanimous support against the amended development proposal.
On June 12 several subdivision residents packed the council chamber to voice and hear objections to second and third readings of the bylaw that if passed would amend WASP, and move up Laebon’s development timetable.
There were no submissions during second reading for those in favour of the amendment.
“We were under the impression that 54th (Avenue) was not in the plan to be a connector,” McLeod told council, adding the 120 degree turn on 36A Street onto 54th Avenue was already problematic without increased traffic. “That is a nasty tight, almost 120 degree corner, coming off of 36A onto the 54th connection.
“It's uneven. It's not level. It's very slippery in the winter,” “It's a constant area that town crews already need to sand and pay attention to in order to have traffic move freely through there.”
She added the entire character of that part of the subdivision will be forever lost if the dead end street is altered.
“People have been buying homes for over 30 years in that neighbourhood with the assumption that the road would not continue,” said McLeod. “I recognize things change. I recognize needs change. I'm not convinced in this amendment that this need is necessary.”
Ron Bristow, a nearby area resident, told council he has been in construction for most of his life and said the heavy machinery traffic for construction would “destroy” 54th Avenue.
He also questioned whether a proper evaluation has been done on the dozens of bird species in the forest off 54 Avenue.
“I think some of it (forest) should be saved,” said Bristow. “If you give them access to do phase one development, they're not going to bring that heavy equipment in twice.
“You're going to take all those trees out right up to that buffer zone, and then we're going to be sitting there for six houses a year to sell 38 lots. We’re going to be sitting there with sand blown in our doors for seven or eight years.”
When the vote came for second reading of the bylaw to amend the Woodlands Area Structure Plan, all seven members of council were against it.
“I cannot support this motion. I was not a huge fan to begin with,” said Mayor Jean Barclay, adding she agreed with the potential traffic concerns outlined by residents. “Housing is probably my biggest frustration right now because we can't seem to get anything going or we get started and it stops.
“Developers come and go or things just don't happen the way we hoped them to.”
