Have you ever had the experience of slipping on ice? There's no worse feeling than not being able to get a grip. Sometimes I can't help but feel that the Town is slipping on the icy slope that we call development. This week's edition of the PACKET clearly illustrates this in a story and in its editorial. The question is, are we trying to get a grip or are we just spinning our wheels?
The story of the man whose property is being overwhelmed by the Katherine Estates development is not new to me. ( Pay More Attention, The Packet, September 13, 2012). I was on Council when we approved the Katherine Estates development. I voted for it. I was asked to make a decision based on a photocopied 8.5*11 paper drawing of the street layout for that development. The whole affair has been a learning experience for me. I was not told - nor did I know enough to ask, about the elevations - I assumed (wrongly) that the development would follow the natural, gentle slope of the land. With what I estimate to be over 1000 loads of fill later, we have a development that slopes up into the side of a blasted cliff - towering above the homeoner's property. Unfortunately the damage is done and changing what is, is impossible. BUT there are learnings that should come from this experience for the Town. Judging from some of the subsequent developments I have seen, this clearly has not occured.
SPINNING OUR WHEELS
The story of the man whose property is being overwhelmed by the Katherine Estates development is not new to me. ( Pay More Attention, The Packet, September 13, 2012). I was on Council when we approved the Katherine Estates development. I voted for it. I was asked to make a decision based on a photocopied 8.5*11 paper drawing of the street layout for that development. The whole affair has been a learning experience for me. I was not told - nor did I know enough to ask, about the elevations - I assumed (wrongly) that the development would follow the natural, gentle slope of the land. With what I estimate to be over 1000 loads of fill later, we have a development that slopes up into the side of a blasted cliff - towering above the homeoner's property. Unfortunately the damage is done and changing what is, is impossible. BUT there are learnings that should come from this experience for the Town. Judging from some of the subsequent developments I have seen, this clearly has not occured.
The Editorial in this week's PACKET was also spot on (Going with the Flow). Manitoba Drive is widely acknowledged to be a mess because as traffic volumes have shot up, the problems caused by poor (no) planning have become more evident. Now, the relatively new, but equally busy, Shoal Harbour drive is being developed in exactly the same way. No sidewalks, exits and entrances hither and dither and lack of turning lanes point to many accidents waiting to happen.
GETTING A GRIP?
Unfortunately, there's a lot of sentiment out there in Clarenville that longs for the "good old days" when you didn't need formal proactive process and a simple "chat" would address problems after they occurred. The reality is that this type of reactive approach to an ever growing list of problems just don't work today - These times are gone in Clarenville and the town needs a much more rigorous approach to development.
I can't totally fault developers for the current problems - their vision is largely driving the growth in this town. As well, their objective is clearly to maximize their revenues and minimize their costs. They do owe a moral obligation to do what is right - but generally, I would not expect them to (or let them) monitor their own compliance with development rules.
I can't totally fault developers for the current problems - their vision is largely driving the growth in this town. As well, their objective is clearly to maximize their revenues and minimize their costs. They do owe a moral obligation to do what is right - but generally, I would not expect them to (or let them) monitor their own compliance with development rules.
Our job as a community (you and me) should be to ( through our Town Council) gather information based on evidence; make appropriate rules, apply these rules fairly and ensure the rules are followed. Through my own experience, I know that this can and should be done better - and it's frustrating when it is not.
Growth will continue and it's crying out to be actively managed. It's time to get a grip in these good "new" days.
pt
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