City opens way to more development near Home Depot

A local developer is planning to build a pedestrian and vehicular thoroughfare from Jimmy Joe's Cafe on Great Northern Road to the area adjacent to Home Depot.

The eventual plan for the site could include more retail outlets and an access road that would cross an unopened city road, Linda Road, according to information submitted to City officials.

Much of the land needed for the project was rezoned last week from residential to commercial, to allow future commercial development opportunities.

Developer Joe Coccimiglio was on hand at a City Council meeting last week to answer questions about the development, but few were asked.

Fausto DiTommaso, co-founder of Green North Developments Ltd., said that he was concerned the development would not go through because it would require an easement from his property to the south.

"Home Depot wont be able to give access to that property because you can't give a third-party easement," said DiTommaso.

City Planning Director Don McConnell assured DiTommaso that no such easement would be required.

The rezoning application first came before City Council in September, 2010, but was deferred to an unspecified future date.

At that time the application was to rezone a larger parcel of land next to several residential properties.

"With the original application, there was neighbour concern regarding the rezoning of the entire 50 Linda Road parcel," said McConnell in a report to City Council.

No neighbours of the potential development were present at last week's meeting and none expressed concerns with the project prior to the meeting.

Several conditions that McConnell asked be attached to the approval were approved by City Council.

"Staff from the public works and transportation department have advised that there are storm and sanitary sewers that run through the allowance," said McConnell. "As such, City staff would prefer that the City maintain ownership of Block 'A' because of the existence of those services."

McConnell said that developers would have to come to a legal agreement with the City that would ensure they don't disturb or damage services presently installed on the planned road.

"Staff recommends that no structures of any kind be built on the road allowance," said McConnell. "As well, staff notes to the applicant that any future agreement to use the road allowance would be conditional on the applicant or a future owner/ developer being responsible for the increased costs associated with maintaining the existing Linda Road services as a result of any related development."

McConnell also said that, if an agreement can't be worked out, the rezoning will not proceed and a report will be brought back to City Council.