Happy Valley-goose Bay residents concerned about road extension

A group of residents in Happy Valley-goose Bay isn't happy with a decision by the town council on the route for an extension of a well-used road through town. The town is proposing extending Kelland Drive to connect to Corte Real Road, at a cost of about $4 million. People who live on the proposed route says it's too close to their homes and will create other problems.

Jamie Abbass lives on Lyall Street, directly behind the proposed road. He was informed of the proposal on Feb. 10 and had three days' notice to provide input on it. In that time, he collected 37 signatures on a petition for a public meeting and consultation.

“We figured there would be a road behind us at some point and we're not opposing the road, but people thought it would be further out,” he said.

The town held a public meeting on the matter on March 10 where people were presented with three different options for how the project could look and given an opportunity to provide some feedback.

Abbass said he felt they had made progress on the concerns people had in the meeting and was surprised when he was told by the town a few weeks ago it will proceed with a design that doesn't address the issues raised by residents.

“Everyone seemed on the same page, I thought the councillors were on the same page, just by the narrative, how it went. We thought they would collaborate with us and work on a compromise. Then we received an email that said, ‘here's what we decided,'” he said. “We're disappointed.”

Abbass said people who live on the proposed route say there should be a larger buffer, considering it will be a straight run to a light industrial part of town and could have a lot of heavy traffic coming through. The proposal by the town has a 30-metre buffer zone with a fence, which he says isn't enough.

“A lot of the greenery that's in that 30 metres is moss and shrubbery,” he said. “If you walk out 30 metres you're directly looking at the houses. There's no cover. Did someone even come up and look at it?”

Abbass said some residents had suggested moving the proposed road further back, preserving the trees and trails that already exist there, creating a visual and sound barrier.

The email that was sent out said the total cost of the option with the most distance from the property would increase the town's share by $287,463, costing an additional $165,000 over and above the preferred option of the council.

“It just comes down to dollars and cents, that's the bottom line. The town has to put in some extra money to make something nice in our community versus going with the least-cost option and continuing to develop our community in an ugly manner,” Abbass said.

OTHER RESIDENTS CONCERNED

At the March 10 public meeting, resident Phyllis Harris expressed her concerns about the proposal, including the distance from homes.

“That neighbourhood has been zoned low-density residential,” she said at the meeting. “People moved in there with the expectation that it would be a low-density residential area. Residential to me means I should be able to expect a certain amount of peace and quiet, enjoyment of my property, and that will be entirely destroyed.”

She said the proposal will affect the property value of people in the region and create a large amount of noise and dust.

Happy Valley-goose Bay town engineer Randy Dillon said at the meeting the project has been talked about for about 20 years, which made Harris question why some of the houses that would be most affected had been granted building permits and why people hadn't been notified earlier in the process.

Saltwire Network contacted the town for further comment on the matter, but was told the town wants to discuss it more with residents first.

Abbass told Saltwire on June 18 that the council has agreed to meet with residents on June 24.