Rothesay council needs more details before it will consider a proposed residential development in the community.
Mike Maloney is looking to build a 46-unit apartment building and a six-unit townhouse development at Marr Road and Old Mill Lane.
He presented the project details to council and community members during a public hearing on Monday night.
Maloney said he wants to cater the development toward seniors in the community who are looking to downsize.
The apartment building will consist of mainly two-bedroom units, but there will also be some one- and three-bedroom units.
Several concerns were raised by residents, including privacy, construction noise, and increased traffic on an already busy Marr Road.
But much of the discussion at Monday’s hearing centered on concerns around stormwater drainage in the area.
Mike Vienneau, who lives next to the proposed site, said stormwater runoff is one of the main reasons he is against the project.
“For the last seven or eight years that I’ve been there, I’m constantly watching the water come down my backyard, between myself and my neighbour, and it all goes into a storm drain,” said Vienneau.
“It’s me that has to go out to the storm drain to make sure that it’s open to make sure that all of that water gets taken away.”
Maloney said his development will actually improve stormwater flow by transforming the property into a “right side up bowl,” allowing them to control the flow and direction of the water.
Water would be captured and stored in tanks beneath the parking lot, in a retention pond, and on the roof of the building before being released in a controlled manner to the Marr Road and Old Mill stormwater systems.
But that description was not enough to alleviate the concerns of many councillors, including Deputy Mayor Matt Alexander.
“I know that a conceptual plan has been developed … but I don’t see it any more than just a conceptual plan. I don’t see any detail within it,” said Alexander.
“I’d like to see a mass balance that just sort of gives an idea of how much water is going to be coming down in the future and how it’s going to be retained. I’d like to see a little bit more on the design of the stormwater retention pond.”
Coun. Helen Boyle said she also wants to see more details, including how big the storage tanks are and how long the water will be retained.
Town staff also noted that they have concerns about the potential downstream impacts from the stormwater flow.
“We want to know that this water is going to go into an area that’s not going to affect any other property owners in a negative way,” said Town Manager John Jarvie.
Council voted to table the public hearing until the developer can return with a more detailed stormwater plan.
