Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Violent Reaction in Whyte Ridge





The Southwest Corner of McGillivary and Dunkley Street

Look into the background and you can see Whyte Ridge. It is way back behind a fence.

A condo complex with no entrance into that subdivision warrants a 500 person petition and a verbally violent committee meeting where the police might have to intervene. Am I getting this right?

Assiniboia Community Committee of City Council - Councillors Paula Havixbeck, Grant Nordman and Scott Fielding approved a condo complex that seemed to go out of its way to ensure that it was not offensive. The step of having no entrance into the sub-division was a huge step. All traffic will enter and exit via McGillivary.

Now, I do have some thoughts on McGillvary. It is turning into a speedway to even further exurban subdivisions. Despite a recent widening, it may prove to be a bit tricky for left turns in.

However, one thing is obvious: Whyte Ridge's four lanes in and out to McGillivary is unaffected. They have controlled access to the McGillivary at Columbia Drive. They also have an entrance with lights to Kenaston at Scurfield.

So what is the concern of Whyte Ridge about a condo outside the fenceline and and away from its major traffic routes? Well, according to some people, it is a monolith looking into their yards? Really? I count maybe four or five house on Breckenridge Close and a few on Scurfield that are even close to the development. And these are pie-shaped lots with very large backyards.

How could a condo set back from the fence and houses set back from the fence upset one another? Even landscaping seems to be included that would mitigate consequences of overseeing one another?

It is hard to believe that Whyte Ridge wants a commercial development on the site. That is a realistic possibility given a movie theatre or Shopper's Drug Mart are down the street.

And what about runs past Breckenridge? It is high powered lines and a railyard? Aren't those far worse for the neighbourhood?



The old rail and Manitoba Hydro lines running past Whyte Ridge.

The site where the condo is getting is a mix of scrub bush, dirt or gravel road and a house and out buildings. It has a rural/industrial feel. And honestly, so close to Kenaston and being on McGillivary, it is hard to imagine it staying the way it is.

Perhaps, the residents of Whyte Ridge would like human remains to be kept there? No? Well, looky what goes up down the street next month.






St. Gianna's Church at the Corner of McGillvary and Columbia Drive

St. Gianna's Church goes up in a month. It is a $11 million Catholic Church with...

It will feature the first Columbarium Crypt in Canada. Yes, you read that right. A crypt. Of human remains. Beside Whyte Ridge.

Moreover, this is just phase 1.

Just imagining the cars involved. And those cars will be using an access point to Whyte Ridge.

There were no 500 person petitions against this church right up against the fences of houses in the community?

It is no wonder that city councillors were not swayed by extremely angry and possibly violent citizens. If this condo project could get turfed outside the fenceline, what next? Close the church? Pull the rail and hydro lines?

Come on Whyte Ridge? This isn't even inside the fenceline to your subdivision.

This reminds me of when The Keg got chased away from Waverley by Linden Woods residents because of people saying the smell of steak cooking across the street *opposite* the fenceline would make dogs nuts in the neighbourhood. I kid you not. That was what was in the meeting and Councillors backed down like a dog with its tail between its legs.

I hope the full city council takes the hysteria into account and ignores it. This project is not the end of the world for that neighbourhood.

It makes me think how smart it is to put condos and apartments in as a neighbourhood is being built as we are seeing in Bridgwater now.

Let this project be built. I'm sure that people now will be embarrassed later on about how they overreacted.

3 comments:

ekimsharpe said...

i think you've nailed it - build the multifamily first in new subdivisions - the homeowners that inevitably buy in will then have nothing to complain about after the fact.

i don't get this one... the apartments are on mcgillivray. it's not even in whyte ridge. yeesh

Winnipeg Girl said...

After speaking with a family friend who lives in what was once the peaceful Fort Whyte neighbourhood, I think I understand a little better, or at least understand those who live there who were upset.

Only a few years ago, McGillivray was busy but not overwhelming, they even had a little community store and post office I believe. Whyte Ridge and Lindenwoods were new communities, but since they were just residential it was still fairly quiet.

Now, only a stone's throw away, there is 3 supermarkets, two home improvement stores, numerous chain restaurants, Walmart, Canadian Tire, gas stations, movie theatre, fast food, and too many outlet stores to mention - all where there used to be wildlife. And that's before the 2 or 3 mega churches that have been approved get built.

At least for the folks in the old community of Fort Whyte I think it may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camels back.

For whatever reason,

John Dobbin said...

@Winnipeg Girl: Linden Woods and Whyte Ridge were never built for self sufficiency. They have no stores, no jobs, sometimes no schools.

By their very nature, the subdivisions required roads to get to the homes and services and stores placed on streets like Kenaston and McGillivary.

As far as wildlife goes, Linden Woods was a farm field. Elements of Whyte Ridge were industrial, farm and marsh.

If the desire was to keep it green space then the neighbourhoods should never have been built in the first place.

In short, it is like the immigrant who comes to Canada and wants to shit the door behind him. Sorry. It can't work that way.

You can strive for improving things but blocking them is not helpful.

This condo is on land that is not very nice. It is outside the gates of the community. It is not on an access road to the community. It is set back from the fence from properties that are pie-shaped and distant from the fence.

It is hard to see how the project should be scrapped? And for what? The land now is an sprawl of rural industrial with garbage being dumped. It isn't a forest, park or wildlife refuge.