Citizens ‘disappointed’ with unanimous Kings County council vote, may appeal
Concerned citizen Basma Kavanagh presents to Kings County council during a July 26 public hearing about an application from Parsons Green Developments for a phased 442-unit residential development in Canning. KIRK STARRATTCOLDBROOK, N.S. — A controversial residential construction project proposed for Canning has been given unanimous approval by Kings County council.
The subject properties total 22.24 acres and are in the southeast quadrant of J. Jordan Road and Summer Street. The land is zoned Comprehensive Neighbourhood Development and Residential One and Two Unit .Throughout the process, concerned citizens called for evidence that the development won’t have a negative impact on infrastructure such as water and sewer, drainage, or that the village wouldn’t be overwhelmed by additional traffic from the population increase.
However, he said that at the public hearing alone, there were seven speakers who referenced the fact that they were unhappy with the engagement process. There is a message for council to be taken from that, and they must explore how to make improvements. Muttart said “there can be no question” that the municipality needs the housing. He is aware that employers across the municipality are having difficulty getting employees because there is either no place for them to live or they can’t afford a place to stay due to limited supply and heavy demand.
Granger said people may not like, agree with, or understand the processes that councillors must adhere to, but they are there for a reason. Coun. Joel Hirtle said he wanted to understand where the application stands in relation to municipal policy, “because ultimately, as council, we have to make this determination based on the pre-written policy that we have in place today.”
Smith said he is disappointed that council decided unanimously to go forward with the proposal as-is without amendments; or guarantees from the developer that the project will be affordable, sustainable, and inclusive — despite “the grave concerns many people eloquently articulated.” He said his main hope throughout the process has been that this developer and any others who want to build projects of this scale would at least respect the collective wisdom in existing communities enough to “actually collaborate with us on the designs.”
“Basically, Kings County ignored the petition and over 100 signatures against the proposed development on J. Jordan Road,” Tondino said. “They ignored the knowledge and research done by their community members.” Tondino is hopeful that the community will work independently to create a much-needed vision for Canning and persuade the County of Kings to listen to its people.
These issues include addressing homelessness, addressing the housing crisis, protecting communities against “unfettered, extractive development,” and environmental sustainability.“I am also concerned by the unanimity of the decision, which suggests an environment where dissenting views — key to democratic process — are discouraged,” she said.He said the necessity for housing seems to be the driving force behind it, so it is understandable on that level.
Parsons Green Developments president Noel Taiani looks out over the Cornwallis River valley from the fifth floor of a building under construction in February 2021 as part of the Miners Landing development in Kentville. FILE PHOTOParsons Green Developments president Noel Taiani said they are good stewards of the approvals they are given, and he is excited looking ahead to the Canning project.
Taiani said that when you look at what the concerned citizens were asking for, more engagement, it might be nice if there were more of it. However, he said the question is to what end, and what would it result in, because design by committee generally goes nowhere.
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