Loading articles...

Council could re-open Parsons zoning debate

Mayor Melissa Blake says council can get another chance to save the city’s land exchange agreement with the province.

“According to our procedure bylaw, you can get two-thirds of those members who are eligible to vote, so anybody who participated in the public hearing – there were nine of us. What I would need are six people willing to bring it forward for reconsideration. What that would do is enable us to debate all over again, and come to another vote and find out where the chips would fall at that point,” she said.

However, she says that doesn’t guarantee a different result.

“If we fail again in the vote then the province would have the same pickle that they’ve been in since Thursday where they can’t do anything further unless they have something that titles the transfer or they extend that date in some way,” she said.

Last week, council voted against a zoning proposal for the second phase of developing Parsons Creek, north of Timberlea.

That went against a land exchange agreement with the province, which also included things like releasing more land south of town and allowing the city to make its own upgrades on highways 69 and 63.

If the Parsons piece isn’t approved by the end of the month, the deal will expire.

Blake says it’s an agreement she’s supported from the beginning.

“For me it’s just a win on two fronts that have been so crucial to the municipality. We always lament about our land and transportation as being the two key driving factors. And what this deal represented was a time that the Government of Alberta did not have the funding that they needed to complete those transporation improvements. They did have land,” she said.

Blake says the debate and vote will most likely happen at a special meeting tomorrow before council’s administrative briefing.