Yellowknife (Feb 18/04) - The developer of an 81-room hotel next door to Stanton Hospital says the latest appeal filed against him was part of a conspiracy targeting his building projects.

Work on an 81-room hotel and commercial centre next door to Stanton Territorial Hospital began almost immediately after an appeal of the project was dropped Friday. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Mike Mrdjenovich, who successfully fought off an appeal last year to a 50-unit townhouse complex he built on Ptarmigan Road, said he's running into roadblocks everywhere he turns.

"Over the years, I've stepped on a few toes so I guess this is payback time for me," said Mrdjenovich, referring to an appeal filed last week against a hotel and commercial centre he is building off Old Airport Road. "They're getting even with me, but that's okay. I've got big shoulders."

The appellant, Tasha Stephenson, who filed Feb. 9, has since dropped her appeal. Work at the site resumed Monday.

Mrdjenovich said he intends to complain to the territorial government because it's far too easy for people to hold up development applications under the current appeal process in the NWT.

"Up here you just have to write a letter and the appeal is on," said Mrdjenovich.

"Right now, you don't even have to have grounds. You might not like somebody, you might not like the guy's colour of hair or eyes, then you can appeal it. That's basically what's happening here."

Stephenson, however, denied any involvement in a conspiracy against Mrdjenovich.

"I wish I had a little more support than I do," said Stephenson, insisting that the appeal was her idea alone.

She had no choice but to appeal because she only learned of the development two-working days before the 14-day appeal period ended on Feb. 9, she said.

"(The city's) definition of a public notice is posting a piece of paper on a telephone pole," she said. "All I knew was that there was a proposal for an 81-room hotel."

Stephenson said she dropped the appeal because she doesn't have time to pursue it on her own. Nonetheless, she said she still has concerns about the manner in which some major development projects are advanced in the city.

Considering the controversy that arose last year with the Extra Foods store next door, she is surprised there wasn't more debate among city councillors.

"It seems they're afraid of public input instead of taking the route of working with the public to try to meet everybody's concerns," said Stephenson.

However, the sale of the lot to Mrdjenovich endured at least two rounds of public debate in 2002 and last spring, said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

Once the lot is in the developer's hands, and as long as the project follows the zoning bylaw, any complaints against a project are up to the development appeal board to decide.

"There was public discussion to have the land go to sale, and there was public discussion as to who bought it and when," said Van Tighem. "They might have been born and raised here and that's where they've always had their picnics, but there's a whole legislative process that takes so long that everybody figures everybody knows, and they might not."