Echoes of earlier times reverberated through the RM of Ritchot’s council chambers on Wednesday, July 19 as residents gathered to object to the loss of more commercial space along St. Adolphe’s Main Street.
In 2018 and 2019, public hearings brought out residents in droves pertaining to proposals to rezone commercial land as residential in the Tourond Creek development, most, if not all, of them in opposition.
Wednesday’s meeting was quieter, but the sentiments were very much the same.
Developer Luke Wiebe of Kingdom Home Building Inc. was in house for the meeting to present his case for rezoning a section of his land at the southwest corner of the community. The ask was for a change in zoning from Agricultural Limited (AL) to General Residential 8000 (GR8).
Council denied the request with a vote of five to zero.
The Property and Its History
The 2.8-acre property in question is some of the last remaining vacant land bordering St. Adolphe’s Main Street. It rests to the south of the community’s old dike and just north of the site where the new community daycare will soon be erected.
In 2021, council entertained a similar request from Wiebe regarding this same plot of land. At the time, council voted in favour of Wiebe’s request to rezone the property from AL to Commercial General.
Wiebe’s goal at the time was to construct a professional centre with retail shops and, possibly, industrial spaces, depending on demand.
According to Tanya Waddell, the municipality’s planning administrator, Wiebe never pursued a development agreement with the RM following that public hearing. As such, the property remained under its AL zoning.
Fast forward nearly two years and Wiebe returned to council, this time seeking to rezone the land to GR8 with the intention of building multifamily housing.
Luxury Rental Units
Through a PowerPoint presentation, including renderings and details, Wiebe laid out a plan for council for him to build an apartment complex containing approximately 100 luxury rental units.
According to market research, he said, there is a near zero percent vacancy rate in rental suites at present. At the same time, due to the rising cost of living, demand for rentals is increasing in the retirement, semi-retirement, and professional demographics.
For those looking for more affordable housing options, Wiebe indicated a willingness to incorporate some smaller studio and one-bedroom apartments. These would likely start at around $1,200 per month.
This project would be set apart from other small-town apartment complex, he said, by the inclusion of a series of potential concepts. The specific concepts, which would be determined through a future survey, could include on-site garden plots, a swimming pool and hot tub, outdoor workout stations, and a walking trail.
“I’ve seen this done in Winnipeg,” Wiebe said. “If you build an in-ground pool with efficiency in mind, and if you have enough [tenants], it can make sense.”
Other concepts under consideration include a guest suite and a tenant lounge with golf simulator and coffee bar.
“Some of these ideas I’ve never done yet in my smaller complexes, but I’ve seen them done in… cities across Canada,” he said.
In terms of providing adequate drainage, parking, and traffic flow requirements, Wiebe said that all of the RM’s bylaws would be followed.
Residents Speak Out
In total, eight residents voiced their opposition in person and on the phone. Nine letters of objection were received prior to the meeting.
Ron Rochon is a 40-year resident of St. Adolphe who supports the idea of rental housing like this in the community, but not on the land that’s being proposed.
“When I drive through the main streets of similar towns with similar populations… the first thing I notice is how vibrant their main street is and how many businesses they have,” Rochon told council. “Another thing I notice is how few residential properties exist on [their] main streets.”
He appealed to council not to allow a further crippling of Main Street, as has been done by past councils through bad rezoning decisions.
A second resident conveyed grave concerns over the safety of this intersection, which is becoming a hazard since it’s the only access and egress for the still-expanding Tourond Creek neighbourhood.
Once the daycare traffic is added here, she said, this intersection will only get worse. Add an extra couple of hundred residents from a new housing development and the scenario becomes treacherous.
Council’s Response
Following resident feedback, some council members chose to weigh in. Councillors Lemoine and Bodnarchuk both admitted to having serious reservations.
Lemoine reminded those in attendance that ten or fifteen years earlier, based on feedback from the community, the council of the day voiced a decision to save the remaining vacant Main Street property for commercial use.
Even so, he said, residential units were approved along the way. It was time, Lemoine concluded, for council to step up and honour that earlier commitment.
“I’ve heard from everyone that commercial won’t survive in St. Adolphe, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t try,” Bodnarchuk agreed. “Once you lose that land, it’s gone. We’re never going to get it back.”
As for the demand for luxury apartments in St. Adolphe, Bodnarchuk struggled to believe that there would be enough to justify such a concept. In terms of the rising traffic volumes at this intersection, he could only foresee big problems.
