Tay council voted not to proceed with a walkway development onto Tay Shore Trail while following the breadcrumbs of a ‘history hunt’ dating back 13 years.
Discussing the parcels of land between Tay Shore Trail and Bourgeois Beach Road within the Victoria Glen Estate subdivision, operational services interim general manager Rick Bingham presented a report at council's regular meeting that allowed them to halt a potentially dangerous access way.
A proposed connection between Ralph Dalton Blvd. and Tay Shore Trail in the west of the subdivision was proposed in 2008, and upon numerous draft plan extensions and revisions by 2018 it was shifted to the centre of the estates where Cardinal Ct. is located and relabelled a walkway.
Also that year, incorrect installation of services altered the draft plan further with redline revisions creating two blocks of property to accommodate. In 2019, council carried staff’s approval of the subdivision’s revisions which included a clause that the owner would complete the trail connection in asphalt.
With the changes, extensions and revisions given to the developer by council over 14 years, a further request was made in early June to consider the feedback of some residents who had bought homes during the subdivision phases. Sidewalks and walkways were their main concern.
Deputy Mayor Gerard LaChapelle spoke first to reaffirm his continued denial of any development extending onto Tay Shore Trail from adjacent properties, citing the long history of prior council in denying similar requests to other projects. Coun. Barry Norris agreed with the deputy mayor.
Norris also pointed out that the difference between the 2008 draft location of the trail and the 2021 request was “night and day”, revealing that previous councils had addressed “a number of challenges” with the development.
“There’s almost an eight- to 10-foot grade (from Tay Shore Trail down onto Ralph Dalton Blvd.); with accessibility standards these days, we would not be able to meet that unless substantial retaining walls were placed on this,” Norris reasoned, adding that retaining walls do not last and that it would be up to the municipality to pay for the upkeep.
Council continued to discuss the potential safety hazards of trail riders, especially children, using the incline to exit onto Ralph Dalton Blvd. only to have to stop for traffic.
Once council had decided to unanimously deny the access way which would halt any connection from the top to the bottom of the Victoria Glen Estate subdivision, it made them question what need there was for the proposed 3-metre-wide paved asphalt walkway between the central parts between Cardinal Ct. and Bourgeois Beach Road.
“I wish I could say this could honestly be part of the trail,” Norris concluded, “but to be classified as the trail you need 3.5 metres.”
Several councillors also expressed concerns that the cul-de-sac of Cardinal Ct. would become a troublesome parking hub if connection to the trail was established.
Mayor Ted Walker agreed: "The Cardinal sidewalk; I suppose there’s no point in doing it if there’s no pathway to Bourgeois Beach.
“And the unfortunate part of all this is that people and neighbours have been told different things when they purchased their homes. To make it more difficult, we have neighbours that don’t agree with the same options. There’s going to be some disagreement on this.
“The other thing we need to consider if these things are not done is: What is the onus on the contractor? This all happened because they put the services in the wrong spot,” Walker finished.
Council unanimously carried the amended motion that the walkway not proceed and that the developer, REO Global Ventures, be required to provide the township with cash in lieu from construction of a future walkway.
The report and presentation regarding the Victoria Glen Estate subdivision is available on the Tay township website.
Meetings of regular council are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month starting at 7:00 p.m.
