With a new Macdonald-Ritchot development plan in its final stages, residents of Ritchot were invited to a public hearing on October 20 to provide feedback.
On Monday, October 24, residents of the RM of Macdonald will be invited to a similar public hearing in Sanford. Following that meeting, board members of the Macdonald-Ritchot Planning District (MRPD) hope the document will be ready for a second and final reading—and a vote.
The proposed development plan has been nearly two years in the making. It’s gone through many months of review, background studies, resident and stakeholder input, and finally a draft that has passed through the rigours of the necessary provincial government agencies.
Once in effect, this development plan will replace the one which was created in 2010.
The development plan is used by municipal councils to guide decision-making in terms of residential and commercial development, transportation routes, the protection of agricultural land, preserving the rural character of the communities and managing the local waterways for drainage and flood protection.
Board members of the MRPD include Councillor Shane Pelletier (acting as board chair), Councillor Janine Boulanger, and planning administrator Tanya Waddell, all of Ritchot. Two councillors from the RM of Macdonald round out the board, Deidre Keddie and Robert Turski.
Kari Schulz, senior planner for WSP, was on hand to provide an overview for those in attendance at the Ritchot meeting. WSP is the land management company commissioned by the MRPD to undertake development of the new plan.
One key aspect of the new development plan is the categorization of each community in the region into one of two designations: rural centres and settlement centres.
According to the plan, rural centres will provide diversity in housing options and become home to most of the RM’s commercial sector. Most the municipality’s recreational services would also be located here.
“The rural centres of the planning district… are intended to be the principal growth centres,” Schulz said.
Île-des-Chênes East is singled out as the only rural centre in Ritchot.
In drafting the new plan, 62 acres of land on the west side of Île-des-Chênes is under consideration to be developed into new residential area.
At the public hearing, Schulz made a recommendation to the board to discard this aspect of the plan due to the unlikelihood of receiving provincial approval since the proposal had raised concerns from both Manitoba Agriculture and Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.
The remaining Ritchot communities—Grande Pointe, St. Adolphe, Ste. Agathe, and the existing residential area of Île-des-Chênes West—will be considered settlement areas. These communities would provide a larger-lot residential feel in keeping with the commitment to preserve the rural character of the municipality.
A second key area of the proposed development plan is a focus on promoting climate resilience by protecting the region’s waterways and natural environments.
For Ritchot, this would include all areas bordering the Red River.
“These are considered sensitive environmental areas and we want to direct development away from those areas,” Schulz explained.
It was the introduction of these two key principles that elicited serious concern from local residents and development representatives.
Brandon Powell of Lombard North sat before the board, making a plea on behalf of SALCO (St. Adolphe Land Company), to reconsider St. Adolphe’s designation as a settlement centre.
Powell reminded board members that significant investments have recently been made with the explicit purpose of bringing population growth to St. Adolphe.
These investments include provincial and federal grants which aided in the expansion of the ring dike. Following that move, SALCO invested in the Tourond Creek development, a 400-acre mixed-use community now located within that dike.
Powell argued that, even at St. Adolphe’s current population, it exceeds that of Île-des-Chênes and Oak Bluff, communities that have been designated as rural centres. To classify St. Adolphe as settlement, he added, would undermine the vision of Tourond Creek as a higher density, mixed-use development.
“Density is a tool developers can use to manage housing choices and affordability in response to changing market conditions,” Powell told the committee. “Communities that can better adapt to market conditions will outcompete communities that cannot.”
Also making an appeal to the board that night was Robert Doiron, resident of St. Adolphe. Doiron is concerned about the settlement designation, too, and asked the board about the limitations this would pose in terms of attracting commercial development in the future.
“I don’t like to have St. Adolphe designated as [just] a place to live,” Doiron said. “When businesses within the planning area are looking for a place to locate, I think St. Adolphe should be included.”
Presenting on behalf of the community of Ste. Agathe, Councillor Curtis Claydon took the podium next. His concerns revolved around the impact the plan’s environmental policy would have on two parcels of land that the St. Hillaire family of St. Agathe had been trying for years to get approved for residential development.
The land in question borders the Red River, yet it has time and again proven to be situated at an altitude higher than historic flood water levels have reached. It is also one of the few remaining options for residential growth in Ste. Agathe.
“I want to challenge the enviro-policy on the draft of the development plan,” Claydon told the board. “We’ve seen exponential growth in Ritchot. We’ve seen St. Adolphe flourish, we’ve seen Île-des-Chênes flourish, and we’ve seen Grande Pointe flourish. But Ste. Agathe is stagnant.”
St. Hillaire, too, stepped forward to present on his own behalf. He read to the board from the old development plan, rules which left room for unique circumstances such as his. These contingencies have since been deleted from the new plan, he stated.
“My contention is simple,” St. Hillaire said. “Allow us to develop this land as we deem appropriate, while following the rules and regulations pertaining to building in such areas. Or purchase the lands [from us] and do with it as the provincial authority wishes and let us get on with our lives.”
One additional resident spoke at the meeting and two letters were read into the record, all demonstrating support for St. Hillaire’s request.
The meeting closed with a promise from chairperson Pelletier to consider all the concerns raised before making a final decision on the adoption of the development plan.
