Town council has approved Laebon Homes' proposed 47-house Penhold Palisades subdivision with conditions but not without a threat by Laebon to pull out of the development.
Town council has approved Laebon Homes' proposed 47-house Penhold Palisades subdivision with conditions but not without a threat by Laebon to pull out of the development.
Steve Bontje and Gord Smith, both representing Laebon Homes, presented their concerns at council's regular Oct. 27 meeting over the town's administrative delays prior to the ultimate motion that decided the fate of the Palisade subdivision decision.
"There has been discussion of this subdivision request since May of 2014 and we are now at the end of October and there is still no decision," said Bontje during his presentation. "We have met with administration numerous times, and responded to your requests for information. We cannot proceed with the Palisades if we do not receive approval nor can we continue to work on engineering forever."
Dennis Cooper, mayor of Penhold, referred to two previous development agreements, which stated that the subdivision request could not go ahead without agreement on water issues.
"Our job is to make sure that our community is protected and that future services are adequate for growth," said Cooper to Bontje. "We have to look to the best interests of the community as you have to look after the best interests of your company."
Cooper added he was "getting worried" there was "head-butting" going on with regards to wastewater and water line issues.
"We do need clarity to protect the long-term interests of the community of Penhold and Laebon Homes," said Cooper, who recommended sending the document back to administration for clarification on the water line issue.
Bontje asked Kristina Schmidt, the town's planning and development officer, to clarify the timelines for approvals or denials of subdivision applications. Schmidt said it would be 60 days after the initial subdivision approval request.
Based on her response, Bontje notified council of his letter to Parkland Community Planning Services (PCPS) that he had requested an Oct. 30 drop dead date for approval, after which the Palisades would not go ahead and he "would plant potatoes.
"Our engineers have found solutions to the outstanding issues," said Bontje. "We have been part of Penhold for some time now and want to stay here and want to work through the issues."
Council members were then quick to amend the subdivision request to include water conditions not in the original request.
The original subdivision request submitted to Parkland Community Planning Services included 47 residential parcels, two municipal reserve parcels, and two remainder parcels subject to conditions listed in an Aug. 5 report. Conditions attached to the report include connection to the regional wastewater system in a manner satisfactory to the Town of Penhold at the developer's cost, and utility rights-of-way provided for ATCO.
Coun. Mike Yargeau put the motion forward to approve the subdivision request with the modified conditions, which passed unanimously.
However Coun. Mike Walsh expressed concern that "common ground had to be found on the subdivision to continue the development of Penhold."
