The Queen St. access road is not a done deal, after council reconsidered the bylaw in a meeting Feb. 22.
Council voted to amend a third reading following a presentation by Redstone developer Carey Fisher.
Council reviewed an Official Community Plan and Zoning amendment application for Redstone land south of Queen Street that would see the construction of a secondary road connecting Redstone to the rest of Rossland.
The road has seen push back from Rossland residents that live near the proposed access, many aired their concerns at a public hearing on Dec. 13.
The city explained that “Other possible access routes were examined but none were feasible due to slope, location outside of Rossland’s municipal boundaries or failed to meet the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s guidelines or best planning practices.”
Currently there are about 85 occupied homes, the development is for 20 additional homes, and would surpass the magic number, 100, that requires another access. The need for this road was established by the B.C. Ministry of Transportation (MoT) in 2006 but was not required until 100 houses were built in the development.
Fisher spoke at the council meeting, and was critical of the process, in particular the development re-zoning application, saying he had considered abandoning the new development.
The developer is responsible for constructing the new access road according to MoT approved standards, including safety and drainage improvements.
After much discussion, and taking into consideration Fisher’s remarks, council agreed that the Queen Street option was best. Council offered that they could increase the number of homes required to be built at Redstone, which would push the secondary access requirement into the future. Council unanimously voted against the original motion.
A motion to give third reading to an amended motion was made. Council left in the condition that a trail be built linking Queen Street to the Rubberhead Trail, but asked staff to look into designating a new standard for number of houses requiring the secondary access and bring an amendment to Schedule I – Redstone Sector Plan of the Official Community Plan for council’s consideration.
The second motion carried, with only Coun. Janice Nightingale opposing.