Apex looks to develop
Ten lots not ideal, but city wants to build what it can
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, November 9, 2015
IQALUIT
Despite the cutback on trucked-water services in pursuit of budget efficiency, the City of Iqaluit is looking at adding 10 new trucked-water lots in the community of Apex.
Melodie Simard, director of planning and development with the city, hosted a community meeting in Apex in late October, nearly six months to the day after a similar one.
Simard said she was returning to the community in part to make up for a presentation six months back that left many people frustrated.
"I thought it would be fair to the community to come back and talk before the city finalized anything," she told the room.
The topic of the night was a proposed 10-lot development in Apex. Simard is hoping to bring the lots to the planning committee and council. From there, she's hoping to potentially begin surveying next year.
One of the first questions community members made at the meeting regarded the city's strategy with trucked-water services, which recently stopped delivering on Wednesdays to save the city money.
"It's interesting they say we lose money for every house on trucked water," noted Apex resident Anne Crawford, who has been at the forefront of the issue. "Why don't we just not build these and we'll be back on a surplus for trucked water?"
Melodie called that a good question and said plainly that the city is strapped for cash and low on development options right now.
"It's more costly to do new development on piped services," she said.
The proposal with the 10 lots in Apex is to at least allow the city to move forward on some development, even if it's not ideal.
"Ultimately, the city is trying to do more piped services than trucked services," said Simard.
Over the last 10 years, Iqaluit has averaged 100 units of growth per year, she said, but last year that number dropped to 40.
"I don't think that's because we didn't have demand," said Simard. "I think that's a function of we didn't have land available. We're still a couple of years away from having the Road to Nowhere subdivision developed, so this is just to allow some new capacity in terms of houses in the city while we work on these other projects."
She admitted the Apex development is not ideal.
"I think there's nothing ideal currently, unfortunately, with respect to land development," she said.
Community members said they have seen surveyors out recently, but Simard said they would have had nothing to do with the city's plan for these lots.
In addition to the trucked services discussion, community members gave their advice on where in Apex was best for development, where should remain green space, what walking trails should stay intact and what could be done with some extra development money to beautify or enhance the town.
Simard said the proposed development units would look like houses already in Apex and said there would be no high-density development.
She took the community's concerns and suggestions and will be bringing the idea to the planning committee and council next.
