By Sheldon Spackman

$230,000 in new studies declined

Council calls for final report on Molly Banister Drive extension

Jun 8, 2020 | 8:03 PM

Red Deer city council is expected to make a decision in the next few months whether an extension of Molly Banister Drive will be in the city’s future plans.

Last fall, the City received an application to amend two development plans in the East Hill area. Melcor, the developer of the area, requested that the MDP and East Hill MASP be amended by removing the Molly Banister Drive protected roadway alignment (extension of Molly Banister Drive to 40 Avenue) from the plans.

Council voted 5-4 Monday in favour of having administration prepare a report and recommendation within the next 12 weeks based on existing traffic data.

The option that had been recommended by administration was to come back with an updated traffic study and environmental impact assessment within the next year. The latter would have required $80,000 in new funding from the city reserves while $150,000 an updated Southeast Sector Traffic Study would have been reallocated from the currently approved “South East Sector Transportation Improvements” project.

Mayor Tara Veer was among four members of council who would have preferred having updated data rather than making a decision based on data compiled between 2006 and 2009.

Last seen Jan. 15

Missing: Courtney Cattleman, 17, of Maskwacis

3h ago

eyes up

Air Spray training around Red Deer Regional Airport

3h ago

Prevention, Access, Recovery, and Coordination

Safe Harbour officially hands over shelter keys, establishes accessible navigation hub

21h ago

“What concerns me is administration has old information that’s more than a decade old,” warned Veer. “The traffic access and egress and some of the modelling throughout the southeast sector is antiquated because of some of the changes which have occurred. When the original study was undertaken, environmental impact and assessment was high level, but it didn’t look at it with the measures that our community now expects us to.

“At that time, environmental sustainability wasn’t s priority of the City, but it is now,” added Veer.

Councillor Michael Dawe, however, was among five members of council that felt spending upwards of $230,000 on studies for updated information wouldn’t tell them anything they don’t already know.

“At the moment, we really have to be mindful of where every penny goes,” he explained. “This would not provide an immediate project, but would get held up. It is a proposal by a developer who’s already put up a significant amount of money for something that will be investing in our community and the longer we hold things up, the longer that developer is sitting there.

“They’re honest people making honest attempts to help build our city,” Dawe continued. “We need to be respectful of that.”

In December, landowners, residents, and business owners were asked whether they support a proposed amendment to remove the protection of a roadway for the future extension of Molly Banister Drive.

Of the nearly 2,000 respondents 57 per cent want to keep the road alignment in City plans while 40 per cent want it removed.

Many respondents cited environmental impacts, impact on nearby landowners/residents (more traffic flow and noise), and the cost of building road versus improving/widening others in their responses.

A report will now be developed and come back to council in 12 weeks.