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Neighbours against neighbours: Woodlea residents disagree on character statements

Mar 20, 2018 | 10:39 AM

The future of one of Red Deer’s oldest neighbourhoods is a little clearer, but there’s no consensus based on what some residents said at a public hearing Monday.

It was determined, however, that Woodlea does have character.

The hearing and subsequent debate focused on proposed character statements for the area, a relatively new tool The City is utilizing for future planning on a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood basis. Waskasoo recently went through this process.

Last summer, contention ramped up between Woodlea neighbours after one resident applied to build a carriage home — a secondary dwelling above a rear-detached garage. Others argued this didn’t align with the area’s traditional design and that it would create unwanted density. Council ultimately rejected the application.

Council heard Monday that the health of relationships in Woodlea has suffered through the process of developing guidelines for the area’s future. Jane Proudlove, a resident and director on the Woodlea Community Association (WCA) said the process has impacted the fabric of the Woodlea community.

“The process has pitted neighbours against neighbours in trying to come up with some kind of statement that is livable,” she said, also stating she was for the character statements as presented.

“We now have some residents of Woodlea that feel their opinions are not necessarily heard and that they now feel that further voicing of their opinions would actually put them or the neighbourhood at risk of further relationship breakdown.

Proudlove pointed out the WCA has asked The City to craft an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) instead of the typically more vague character statements. An ARP would more directly address the issue of carriage homes, she argued.

Mayor Tara Veer said the approval of these character statements does not preclude an ARP from being developed in the future, nor does it stop someone from making an application for a site exception.

“These are always the most difficult matters for our council to grapple with. We desire to find win-wins and it is highly challenging for council whenever there is division among neighbours,” Veer said.

She went on to point out that while some property owners want to protect their existing investment by protecting the existing character, others want to protect their investment by discovering a new identity for Woodlea.

Thirty-plus-year Woodlea resident Peggy Johnson said that while the character statements are good, more regulations need to come forward so as to, “protect from developers who are only interested in making a quick buck.”

Landowner, but non-resident Gary Oosterhoff said he was against the character statements, while 40-year Woodlea resident Karen Jackson pleaded with council to not throw out three years of consultations by rejecting them.

The division among homeowners becomes more profound when reading a letter sent to The City last November by some area residents who claimed the WCA was not properly representing the varying opinions of residents on carriage homes. The letter also accused the community association’s board of never actually voting on what to submit to The City. The WCA is listed on The City’s website as one of several local neighbourhood associations.

In the end, the character statements were approved by a 6-2 vote, councillors Dianne Wyntjes and Tanya Handley dissenting. The statements focus on things like front driveway access, setbacks, aesthetics, and green space, while attempting to differentiate between Central Woodlea and its historical parts known as Nazarene Camp and Chinese Market Garden.

“I think we are missing a big opportunity in capturing a bigger vision, said Wyntjes, who added she was disturbed to hear of the infighting. “We hear about all this work and that we’re throwing it out, but I don’t think we are. We’re using it as a good fundamental piece of what’s next.”

More details on the character statements can be found in this week’s city council agenda or here.