(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Alessia Proietti

Special Meeting & Public Hearing: Jan. 16, 2023

Red Deer city council moves forward to remove Molly Banister road extension and bridge

Nov 22, 2022 | 9:51 AM

Red Deer city council passed first reading on Monday to remove the future potential Molly Banister road extension and bridge across Piper Creek.

The City says a Special Meeting will also be held specifically for this item on January 16, 2023 at 3 p.m. along with a Public Hearing, due to the volume of residents that this topic has brought in the past.

This is the third application made by the developer, Melcor, in three years since 2019 to remove the four-lane road extension and bridge connecting Bower Place shopping centre with the Bower sister’s farmland south of Sunnybrook, shown in The City’s long term plans being the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and East Hill Major Area Structure Plan (MASP).

While there is no limit to how many applications can be made, administration said there has been public concern that a person can apply to amend City plans as many times as they wish until receiving a favourable outcome. In response, administration proposed a limit on the number of similar applications allowed within a certain timeframe within the proposed bylaws, comparable to the Land Use Bylaw process.

As a result, council also approved first reading to amend the MDP and East Hill MASP bylaws to not allow similar applications within a six month timeframe.

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The Molly Banister topic has been ongoing for the past 50 years, first shown in the 1970s. Presented again in the 1996 Transportation Plan Update, residents protested the proposal of the bridge. Administration requested the item be brought back to council in 2003 when the idea of widening 32 St for improved traffic flow had negative impacts on resident properties and park space. Melcor submitted their first application to remove the Molly Banister road extension in 2019 but was rejected by council. In 2021, the developer proposed alternatives such as making the road extension and bridge smaller and to move the project to another part of Piper Creek including Bennett St and Boyce St.

The 2021 proposed amendments identified three potential bridge options shown in yellow (Red Deer city council Nov. 21 meeting agenda p. 77)

The existing Molly Banister Drive is in the city’s southeast, intersecting Gaetz (50) Ave at the Bower Place shopping centre. If extended further east, it could cross the Piper Creek natural area that is currently treed, connecting to 22 St at the southeast corner of the quarter section.

The portion east of the creek is currently used for grazing purposes and contains a farmyard with a residence. Neighboring quarter sections have all been residentially developed.

The arguments for removing the road extension and bridge include preserving natural areas in Red Deer’s parks and trail system and to come to a concrete decision that creates certainty for the developer to move forward on plans.

Neither the MDP nor the East Hill MASP plan specifies the road extension and bridge will be required in the future but states it is an option to mitigate some traffic pressures along 32 St. The City says the road extension and bridge would not be considered as an option for approximately 20 to 30 years when traffic counts may warrant the connection.

In September 2022, information regarding the most recent application was mailed to community associations of the neighboring quarter sections and landowners within roughly 100 metres. They also received an invitation to an information session scheduled this October and a link to an online survey. The information session was attended by 13 members of the public. A total of 53 responses were submitted online, with 33 (62.3 per cent) in favour of removing the road extension and bridge from City plans, and 20 (37.7 per cent) in favour of keeping it in.

READ: Molly Banister Drive extension returns to Red Deer city council on Monday