(rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Josh Hall

public hearing tuesday

Molly Banister Drive extension: For and Against

Oct 24, 2020 | 8:00 AM

It’s a decision that’s been looming for decades as Red Deer city council gets closer to finally determining whether the future extension of Molly Banister Drive will remain in the city’s plans.

A public hearing on the matter goes this Tuesday, Oct. 27 starting at 1 p.m. with up to eight hours set aside, if needed.

Council is considering an amendment to the city’s Municipal Development Plan to remove the protected roadway alignment for the extension of Molly Banister Drive to connect to 40 Avenue at 22 Street. They are also considering an amendment to the East Hill Major Area Structure Plan to remove the protected roadway alignment as well as the future emergency services facility and the collector road that is located in the same quarter section.

Council may choose to vote immediately after Tuesday’s hearing or table the matter to a future meeting in order to further assess what they are presented with.

Last December, close to 2,000 Red Deerians were surveyed on the matter, with 57 per cent expressing support for the extension. Forty per cent said leave it alone and protect the natural area an extended roadway would cut through.

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Melcor Developments Ltd. purchased the land in play in 2019 and wants to turn into a new neighbourhood.

Guy Pelletier, Melcor’s vice president in Red Deer, says they’d potentially be ready to build starting in 2022 if the roadway extension is removed from City plans.

For Melcor, their case against Molly Banister Drive extension comes down to three factors.

“One is of course protection of that natural corridor, which is part of Red Deer’s identity and culture,” says Pelletier. “Having a four-lane roadway potentially crossing there would have a majorly negative impact on how that area would be used by both people and wildlife.”

A recent report to city council suggests there are, at minimum, 44 avian and 24 mammalian species, as well as fish, in the Bower Woods natural area.

“Second is a financial argument in terms of protecting that corridor having a fairly major impact on efficiency and tax assessment of that neighbourhood,” Pelletier shares. “We’ve calculated that there would be in excess of $600,000 per year of taxes that would not be paid to the City if we had to prepare for that roadway.”

The final point, according to Pelletier, is finally giving area residents, as well as Melcor, certainty about the area’s future.

Former City Manager Craig Curtis believes extending the roadway is a critical piece to the future of the city’s transportation system.

“To take it out would be a failure for future generations because it would create a major transportation issue down the road,” he told rdnewsNOW on Friday. “We need to avoid compromising our future generations and future planning, which is why I intend to speak to council and remind them of some of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, while really putting forward the significant evidence about why council should retain this right of way.”

Curtis says those close to him know he is an environmentalist, however planning is about balance, and maintaining basic transportation corridors should take precedent in this situation.

He is concerned about future traffic volumes if the City decided it’s instead going to focus on future upgrades to 32 Street and 19 Street.

“This potential corridor has been in place since the 1970s, and has been endorsed or supported by over 10 councils. At various stages, like in 2006, a transportation study was done which indicated they should widen 32 Street,” he explained. “Council said they wouldn’t do that because they had the Molly Banister option which would provide relief for traffic on 19th and 32nd. If you take the Molly Banister route out, all traffic has to flow through the other two.”

Curtis says it’s also important to remember that more residential areas will eventually be built beyond 20 Avenue, which will create additional flow through 32 Street and 19 Street.

He compares this situation to what the City of Red Deer did when it needed to build the 67 Street Bridge over the Red Deer River.

“We carefully aligned it so that it protected the lakes, we planted trees, and it wasn’t ideal because it cut off a portion of the sanctuary, but we had to compromise,” he recalls. “When we moved the railway line, everyone said that’s a perfect location for a linear park, but we built Taylor Drive and who would say that was a wrong decision today?”

Curtis, who is currently the Interim CAO for the Village of Caroline, says protecting transportation corridors actually protects neighbourhoods and parklands because it prevents shortcutting, and keeps traffic on major roadways.

Adding that he doesn’t believe this decision should be made during a pandemic either way, he concluded, “It’s critical not do away with this corridor.”

More details on Tuesday’s public hearing can be found here.

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