SalDan gets OK for 11 units at Sunrise Ridge

The difficult history of a downtown development got a little brighter Monday, when the city's planning committee agreed to approve the construction of 11 new housing units.

That's well short of the 77 SalDan Developments wants to build along the Sunrise Ridge Subdivision, but allows time for engineers to solve drainage problems that led to major flooding in the area.

The 11 lots are already serviced by the city and likely won't aggravate flooding danger for residents who live below. The process gets more complicated, however, when talk turns to building the remaining 66 units SalDan wants to build.

Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann has tried to mediate between the parties - residents, SalDan and city staff - to come up with a solution.

"In the past four weeks, I have met with (city) staff five times, including with the developer two times, residents of Mountain Street three times and residents of Sunrise Ridge once," Landry-Altmann told the planning committee.

Those meetings produced a 10-point proposal to ease residents' concerns, but included new issues, such as traffic problems and environmental and soil concerns.

"This is very, very complicated," she said after the meeting. "You're dealing with the past, your dealing the present and you're dealing with the future."

What it boils down to, Landry-Altmann said, is that a new development is trying to function with old infrastructure. Unlike other disputes that have broken out between developers and residents in the city, she said people in the area largely support development in the area; however, flooding concerns are paramount, especially in light of the 2009 floods.

"No one is trying to shut him down," she said. "The 11 units are a show of good faith on behalf of the residents. We're interested in working it out, and that's why we've had so many meetings."

Before SalDan can build the 11 lots, it first has to file a report on the feasibility of redirecting storm waters either north or south of the existing drainage pond. It was this drainage pond that was overwhelmed in 2009, causing $30 millin to $40 million in damage to about 600 homes.

The storm was deemed a 1-in-100-years event, leading to historic flooding problems.

"Sometimes it takes one of those storms to teach you engineering lessons," said Sam Biasucci, owner of SalDan, a northern-Ontario-based construction company. "We recognize that we can do better."

The plan is to divert water away from the pond. Options include building a storm tunnel through the Mountain Street and Leslie Street area to Junction Creek for $1.6 million and a second channel northeast to Junction Creek for $700,000. As well, city engineers propose building a flood barrier wall at Sunrise Ridge pond and a second diversion pipe from the pond on the east side of the mountain. 

The cost of these options is $1.9 million.

SalDan has agreed to pay or share the costs of these measures, with the exception of the flood barrier wall. Biasucci said he will pay the cost of diverting the water north, away from the existing drainage pond, and he'll pay for the feasibility study on how to accomplish that.

"We're willing to redesign the entire 66-unit subdivision. We had a plan that was approved, but we're looking at trashing that - and redesigning the entire water drainage system. So there's a lot more money there.

"But we have never supported the wall. The wall was not our idea. I think at the end of the day, when everything is looked at, everyone will see there is no need for it. It was probably a rushed idea."

While this has been a difficult process, he wouldn't peg Sunrise as the toughest development he's had to shepherd through the process.

"None of them are easy," Biasucci said. "We have taken pride in the past 32 years in building neighborhoods; we don't destroy them."

The planning committee's decision goes to city council tonight for final approval.

Posted by Arron Pickard