At the special meeting of NWCC, four of the five councillors voted to reject the appeal from the residents and persons of interest who spoke\u2014all in support of the appeal\u2014during the virtual meeting, held March. 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lone dissenting vote among the councillors in support of the appeal of the project for those 55-plus by the residents was the councillor whose residents are the most to be impacted, Councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe now have to rely a lot on the permitting, and that\u2019s a place where we don\u2019t have public input,\u201d said Deagle Gammon. \u201cI live at the end of Fall River Road; I can tell you the intersection is a nightmare. You want to add 500 more cars, I\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of their main concerns from residents was the wastewater plant that will see treated effluent put into Lake Thomas, and likely go to other adjacent lakes that are part of the Shubenacadie Canal system. Nova Scotia Environment approved this with project details and design; however, that is something residents have not been able to view nor given to HRM as part of their process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”31″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”34″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other concerns included the impact of added vehicular traffic onto already congested and strained Fall River Road and nearby neighbouring streets in Fall River Village; as well as blasting for the underground parking garage and the impacts that will have on their wells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natalie Hartt (Carr) acknowledged there is a need for seniors housing. She is not opposed to seniors housing but is to the current development as presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is not the same development that was proposed back in 2019,\u201d she said. \u201cMany who initially supported the development now agree that the shear size of it will have serious impacts to not only the surrounding residences, but the community as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith blasting so close, there\u2019s a potential to not only change the water table causing surrounding wells to dry up but endangering families by contaminating the water we drink and cook with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Residents also were not thrilled how large the campus-style development, by developer Glen Clark who lives near the location, had grown since its initial approval. It was approved for 400 units (four buildings) and a 100-bed long-term nursing unit, operated by Northwood. It now is pegged at 500 units and a 144-bed long-term care facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hartt said they were unaware of the treated effluent being discharged into Lake Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI ask why we would put our own lakes in more danger when we don\u2019t have to. This does not and should not be accepted by the community nor the council.,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate group=”6″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”156″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said a holistic view should have been taken on the several developments that are proposed in Fall River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Carr Farm project has to be considered along with the other projects in the community verses a site-specific basis,\u201d said Hartt. \u201cThis process is lacking transparency with missing information from the beginning. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/627FD109-76C7-4170-845B-C17574F49033-1024x768.jpeg\")
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