City committee approves front driveway for new home despite safety concerns by planners
A city committee says a home builder can put a front driveway on a new house in St. Vital, despite safety concerns from city planners.
Councillors on the Riel Community Committee voted for the driveway, which will connect to St. George Road.
Coun. Brian Mayes says it's a way for the homeowner to avoid what's behind the house: the pothole-filled gravel lanes.
V&A Homes is building the new house and garage and wanted to prevent the new homeowner from having to deal with the back lane.
"I don't think people want to use it. They're bumpy and we've built a few infill homes and some of those you can't even drive down, they get really messed up," said Aman Sachar, who is with the building company.
A city bylaw states an approach must not be allowed where an adjacent lane of at least 4.5 metres already exists, in this case, that would be the existing gravel back lane which is six metres.
A report to the Riel Community Committee said planners raised safety concerns about a front facing driveway saying it would create conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.
"The lack of a sidewalk on the block requires that pedestrians walk on the road. Adding an approach adds further vulnerability to pedestrians on the subject block," the report said.
All councillors voted to approve the front driveway, despite the report.
"Here's somebody who's got a solution. I'm voting for their solution," said Mayes.
Mayes said he is fed up with complaints about the condition of gravel lanes and if city planners want homeowners to use back lanes, more of them need to be paved.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.