Niverville’s public council meeting on February 4 was held before a small audience interested in the discussion related to a conditional use request made by Avedo Inc. The property the company seeks to develop is on Niverville’s west side, bordering Church Street and Ritchot Drive.
Based on a preliminary graphic design provided by the developer, the goal is to add approximately 350 residential units to this site within seven multiuse buildings ranging in height from three to six storeys.
Since the land immediately bordering Highway 311 is zoned as commercial corridor, the applicant was there to request that allowances be made for one building, approximately six stories in height, which would be comprised of residential units only. All the other buildings would allow for main floor commercial space.
“There’s been some drawings that have been sent out,” Mayor Myron Dyck told the crowd. “Those are conceptual and not actual. So where buildings [appear], height of buildings, and position of buildings, that’s not why we are here.”
Dyck clarified that another public hearing will be required down the road, and an official plan presented, when and if the developer decides to proceed with construction.
As it stands, CAO Eric King told council that the proposal lines up with Niverville’s current land development plan in that it helps to “minimize urban sprawl by facilitating intensification in appropriate areas… and encourages a range of housing types.”
King added that a public access road would need to be built by the developer, who would also be responsible for its ongoing maintenance and repairs. Further, the developer would be required to contribute toward planned traffic enhancements at the intersections of Krahn Road and Mulberry Avenue.
Avedo’s owner, Stefan Hodelmann, lives in Niverville with his family. His company is responsible for building two apartment blocks on the west side of the railway tracks, one of which is still under construction.
“We have ambitious plans for that piece of land,” Hodelmann told council of the new project. “I think many of us moved here because there’s a certain level of excitement that this community offers. I know people in surrounding communities are envious of our growth, our creativity in getting things done as a community.”
While an additional 350 homes in the community sounds like a lot, he said, it will be developed in phases which could take years to complete. Even so, he sees an immediate need for housing, arising from the coming movie studio.
“Our generic plan includes lots of underground parking, which we’ve noticed that a lot of people appreciate,” Hodelmann said. “We’re seeing a lot of seniors following their kids outside the city and moving into our suites. We’ll include all kinds of amenities and we’ll be creative.”
One of these many amenities, he hopes, will be a daycare service. His company will work actively in that direction in order to help mitigate the community’s childcare demand.
Following Hodelmann, six community residents stepped forward to represent concerns with the development as proposed.
The first inquired as to whether the town’s current services, including emergency services, would be able to keep up with the demand created by an additional 1,000 new residents.
Mayor Dyck suggested that the town is well-positioned for this kind of growth. A new RCMP detachment will soon open, bringing four officers to the community. By 2027, council hopes to begin construction on a new fire hall. Expansion is also currently taking place at the community’s medical centre, making way for more doctors.
As for municipal utilities, both the water treatment plant and proposed wastewater facility will have the capacity for three times the current population.
School capacity was another concern shared.
“Schools are provincial jurisdictions,” Dyck said. “Unfortunately, the province is reactive instead of proactive.”
But whether it’s through the addition of huts or building expansions, the province is keeping up.
Other residents questioned the necessity for three- and six-storey housing units in the new development.
“The Ministry of Agriculture is trying to keep farmland in production for as long as possible and so they would rather see greater densification of neighbourhoods,” said Dyck. “When you’re the fastest growing municipality in the country, you’re kind of front and centre as far as demand on land goes.”
One couple living next door to the development provided some thoughts on how they’d like to see the land used.
“I would love to see some of the area developed for young kids,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of stuff for them to do. I know that we have the rec centre and I know we’re a big hockey community, but not everyone’s a hockey player. So instead of a whole lot more people coming in, rather [we should] develop some of that land for people that are already here.”
Mayor Dyck agreed with the notion that Niverville could benefit from more things for young people to do. By providing commercial space on this land, he pointed out that the entertainment businesses will eventually come.
As for recreation facilities run by the town, however, little more is in the forecast until the mortgage for the CRRC is paid in full.
When it comes to a community-run swimming pool, he added, that likely won’t happen in the foreseeable future.
“We have talked extensively to various counsellors in the city of Steinbach,” Dyck said. “They have one of the most used pools in the entire province. They run an operating deficit of a million dollars per year. We have 2,000 tax-paying units in the town of Niverville. That means that we’d need $500 from every tax-paying unit every year just to handle the operations. The capital would probably [add] $10,000 per household.”
Another neighbour shared concerns over what the additional traffic would mean for the area. Based on a 1.5 cars per household, he said, it would add an additional 550 cars.
“How is this area going to be able to handle it from the perspective of traffic safety?” he asked. “Right now, already we see accidents waiting to happen.”
As well, he wondered about council’s plan to manage parking within the development to prevent spillover onto surrounding streets.
As for traffic control, King referred to a traffic study performed for this area in 2023, taking into account a buildout of this stretch of land.
In terms of parking, Dyck added that Niverville requires developers to provide a minimum of two parking spaces per door as opposed to 1.5 spaces, which is more typical in other communities.
“We’re prepared to ensure that our residents are not impacted by [parking spillover] by having probably the highest parking ratio per door in the province.”
The idea of carshare programs is something council has been actively encouraging developers to consider implementing to reduce the number of vehicles in their developments.
One of the final concerns raised was that of low-income rental units and, if constructed, what kinds of people and crime they might bring to town.
Dyck assured her that these concerns are raised every time a new development is proposed. Over the years, he said, these issues have yet to materialize.
“When it comes to affordable housing, people that work at entry-level jobs need a place to live,” Dyck said. “And it’s those entry-level [workers] that we all rely on, too.”
Throughout the evening, many people returned to the matter of whether or not Niverville is maintaining its small-town feel.
Mayor Dyck had one more response for that sentiment.
“Small town is a culture,” Dyck said. “It’s not a number. What is small town? It’s paying for the coffee [of the person in the] Tim Horton’s line behind you. It’s shovelling your neighbour’s driveway after shovelling your own. It’s looking after your neighbour’s dog or kid so they can quickly run an errand. We will lose our small town feel when we, as a people of Niverville, decide we don’t give a rip about one another.”
Two letters were received by council prior to the meeting, one in favour and one against.
In the end, council voted unanimously in favour of rezoning, if necessary, to allow for a residential-only building on this commercial land.
