New Minas looking forward to growth opportunities from new 101 exit

When a new interchange on Highway 101 finally started seeing vehicle traffic at the end of December, it did more than open up access to the east end of the busy village. It has also opened up the potential for expanded development of the village.

There weren’t many large areas of land left for development in New Minas, which until last month was mostly cut off from lands in its south end by the highway.

But the new interchange was designed with the beginning of a road that will lead to the previously inaccessible lands to the south. There are almost 40 hectares of land owned by developers, and more than that again that is owned privately.

Village commission chair Dave Chaulk said the possible development of the area is exciting, but what might happen is beyond the village’s scope.

“It’s up to the landowners what they would like to do,” he said. “All we can do is put in any necessary infrastructure and hope that they’re going to develop it.”

He said it doesn’t matter whether commercial, residential or a combination happens, as long as there is some development that can bring people, business and revenue to the community of more than 4,100 people.

“We’re just hoping that with the land more readily accessible to development that the owners do come up with something, but they haven’t approached and said ‘this is what we would like to do.’”

Chaulk said there are some small pockets of land in New Minas, and some business properties where the owners have moved, “but the only large area that is able to be developed is that area.”

Most of the land is currently zoned as resource forestry, so with rezoning, development plans and infrastructure work, not much will be happening soon.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, there’s no question about that,” Chaulk said. “I couldn’t put a time frame on it.”