The site of a burnt-out church sparked controversy last week in Morinville as residents and councillors demanded more be done to protect pedestrians on Hwy. 642.
After extensive debate, town council voted 5-1 on Sept. 13 in favour of rezoning the site of the former St. Andrew's Anglican Church so that it could be used for commercial development. Coun. Nicole Boutestein was opposed, while Coun. Rob Ladouceur was absent.
The site is at 107 St. and Hwy. 642, across from a Shell gas station and the town courthouse. It's been vacant since the Anglican church burned down in 2013.
The diocese has determined that it's not feasible to rebuild and now wants to sell this site, said Alan Perry, executive archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton.
"It's not doing the town of Morinville any good sitting there being derelict."
The diocese wanted the site rezoned to allow for the construction of liquor stores, gas bars, and theatres as discretionary (subject to development officer approval) uses.
Protests abound
Residents flooded council chambers to oppose the move at a public hearing. Many were concerned with the site's impact on traffic safety.
Matt Meunier, whose family owns the adjacent Shell station, said that putting more discretionary-use businesses at this corner would mean more traffic.
"We all know that there are currently safety issues at this intersection," he said, and he wanted them resolved before any more development occurred.
Residents from the nearby Morinville Place also wrote in opposition, citing the crime, fire, noise and congestion risks development could bring.
Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce president Simon Boersma warned that a convenience store or gas station on this lot would create traffic jams when combined with the nearby Shell station and condo complex, and could prompt the province to build a roundabout at this location.
That could leave the town on the hook for some $6.9 million in expropriation fees, he said, referring to the estimated cost of all the land that would have to be expropriated to build the seven roundabouts proposed under the Highway 642 Functional Planning Study.
"This roundabout has the potential to be a costly venture for the town's taxpayers."
Resident Debbie McIntyre was one of several speakers concerned about pedestrian safety at this intersection.
"Council needs to show that the students, the pedestrians of this community take precedent over money," she said.
"If you cannot guarantee the safety of the pedestrians, you should not rezone."
Mayor Lisa Holmes had to step in several times to ask residents to focus on the rezoning application and not broader issues such as roundabouts. After McIntyre shouted at council from the gallery, Holmes threatened to shut down the public hearing.
Council wants lights
At the suggestion of Coun. Brennan Fitzgerald, council voted to send a letter to Transportation Minister Brian Mason to ask for the immediate installation of traffic lights at 107 Street and Grandin Drive (another traffic hot-spot) where they meet Hwy. 642.
Although the province's Hwy. 642 functional planning study proposes roundabouts to solve this road's traffic troubles, those are a long-term solution. The plan is silent on how to address safety issues in the interim, Holmes said in an interview. Council wants Mason to look at interim solutions such as traffic lights, hopefully without reopening the functional planning study.
Council also supported a motion from Coun. Stephen Dafoe so that council, not a development officer, would have final say over any discretionary use development at this site, such as a gas bar or liquor store.
Boutestein opposed the rezoning motion due to the uncertainties around the nearby intersection and its potential to affect the nearby businesses.
"I can't see moving forward by supporting one businesses while disrupting another."
Holmes said in council that this debate shows that the town needs to talk about taking ownership of Hwy. 642 by attaining city status. It's the biggest road in town, yet council has no control over it, and keeps hitting "roadblock after roadblock" with the province when it tries to address its safety issues.
"It's driving me insane," she said.
"We need to stop dealing with this and have the conversation about the highway once and for all next year."
