Dalron abandons appeal of Minnow Lake development

The Ontario Municipal Board has dismissed a 2012 appeal from Dalron related to a 705-unit development it wanted to build in Minnow Lake.

The dismissal came after Dalron effectively abandoned the appeal in March 2013, postponing a hearing without scheduling another. The OMB dismissed the case after having asked – but not received – periodic updates from Dalron on its plans for the appeal.

In July, the OMB gave Dalron until Jan. 4 to provide an update. It dismissed the appeal after the developer failed to respond.

When the project first went to a public hearing at the planning committee in October 2011, it received a hostile reception from residents. About 1,000 people signed a petition opposing the project, and dozens of residents spoke against the plan.

Residents were primarily concerned about the impact of adding so many vehicles to Howey Drive, a road already near capacity. Councillors estimated it would cost $50 million to acquire land and widen the road, something the city couldn't afford. The committee voted 4-1 to reject the plan.

Dalron came back with a more modest proposal in April 2012, which reduced the number of units from 705 to between 195 and 384. But that plan also went down to defeat in a 3-2 vote, with councillors not willing to add another 3,500 cars a day to Howey Drive.

“The numbers are so large, that it would put the traffic at more than 50 per cent of its maximum,” former Ward 11 Coun. Terry Kett said after the April 2012 meeting. “That's not fair to the people of Minnow Lake. The people deserve to be looked after by the city, and that's what happened tonight.”