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Anchorage Road project still at top of CBS planning committee’s agenda

By Craig Westcott/February 24, 2023

CBS council is deferring for now any decision on an application to create four new infill residential building lots at 240-258 Anchorage Road.

Planning committee chairman Rex Hillier explained it’s better to wait to see what happens to a related bigger development application in the same area as well as what might be needed in terms of municipal servicing and storm drainage.

“We see these lots as being part of a parcel of land that’s working its way through the rezoning process right now,” Hillier said. “So rather than develop these four infill lots at this point in time, we want to make sure that there is a plan for the whole area before we move forward on any of the development in that region.”

Last month, the Town held a public meeting about the larger development application for Anchorage Road. The session drew a small crowd of residents from the area who were not shy about raising worries tied to potential flooding and other issues. Council also received a number of written submissions from people concerned about the proposed development. The location is well in Anchorage Road, probably still better known to many CBS residents as formerly Dawe’s Road, past the underpass with Peacekeeper’s Way and almost as far as the connection to Minerals Road.

At its February 7 meeting, council referred the larger development application to the Department of Municipal Affairs to see if it has anything to say before it goes back to the chamber for a vote on the proposed rezoning that will be needed for the development to go through.

In other planning committee news:

Council has agreed to give some leeway to a proposed subdivision of land at 46-68 Long Shore Road.

That’s the site of the former St. Edward’s Church and priest’s residence that were sold by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s as part of a court-ordered auction of Church properties to pay compensation to some of the victims of sexual and physical abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage.

Councillor Hillier said council will tolerate any “encroachments into minimum” setbacks.

In plainer English, Hillier explained that when the church and priest’s house were built on what was then a large parcel of Church-owned land, there was no consideration given to the usual setbacks and rear yard space allowances that are required under the Town’s building regulations. “So, there are a couple of minor inconsistencies, let’s say, in terms of setback and rear yardage and so on that we’re prepared to consider a tolerance as we go forward,” he said.

Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley asked Hillier if the tolerances also apply to a section of land between St. Edward’s School and the St. Edward’s Cemetery that was also bought by the developer as part of the Church properties auction.

“That’s not included in this,” Hillier said.

Councillor Paul Connors, who is also a member of the planning committee, added the new owner of the former church and priest’s residence wants the properties separated so that they can be sold individually.

The owner of land at 40 Foxtrap Access Road has been given permission to subdivide it as long as it doesn’t increase the “nonconformity” of the properties located there. The Town’s permission is contingent upon the applicant submitting a registered right of way agreement that ensures access is maintained for both buildings that are located down a long driveway off the Foxtrap Access Road between the Faith Pentecostal Church and Eric Taylor Ltd., a heavy equipment yard.

“This is a long standing non-conforming property within a residential area that we’ve worked with in the past and will continue to do so,” Hillier said. “They just want to subdivide the property and make sure they got access to the (back) residence which is currently on the property.”

Council has agreed to send an application to rezone land at 135-137 Seal Cove Road and 7-17 Aprils Lane to the Department of Municipal Affairs to see if the Province has any interest in the matter.

“This is a rezoning application that we’ve been working our way through,” Hillier said. “We’ve reached out to the general public for submissions of interest, concerns or support and we had a public meeting and information session a couple of weeks ago. The next stage is to pass it off to the Province to see if they have any interests in it. Then they’ll come back and we’ll take it from there.”

And the owner of the property at 61 Chaytors Road in Chamberlains has been given the go-ahead to open a salon as a home-based business. No details were given in the public agenda package as to the type or nature of the salon.

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