By Craig Westcott
The CBS Minor Softball Association has been given the all clear towards building a new clubhouse.
The group's application for 1 - 19 All Saints Road, Foxtrap was approved at the CBS council meeting November 19.
Planning committee chairman Gerard Tilley said the approval is contingent on the association developing a parking area large enough to accommodate the traffic expected there.
Tilley said the Town received three submissions in response to the public notice about the application. “Some of those concerns dealt with parking, traffic, increased intensity of use, lighting and security," he added. "I believe we can address all those particular concerns, so the committee is recommending approval of the clubhouse."
Councillor-at-Large Rex Hillier complimented the club on the other work it has already done on the ballfield. "They started tearing down the old facility, upgrading the field, and it's nice to see them now taking this next step in putting a clubhouse there and making it a true neighbourhood facility," he said.
In other developments:
• The former dance studio at the corner of Ivimey Place and Topsail Road in Chamberlains will finally see some life again, this time in the form of a place of worship.
"This is an existing building and parking lot," Tilley said. "The proposal requires a minimum 28 parking spaces. While that particular area only has 11, they have an agreement with an adjoining property to utilize parking there as well, so council is recommending approval."
Mayor Bent noted the building has been sitting vacant for a number of years. "It's nice to see a building like that being repurposed and put back into life," he said. "I was talking with one of the proponents and they were happy to have an agreement with a local business for the extra parking to make this work for them. So, it's great to see that."
• An application for an in-ground swimming pool at 28-38 Steep Nap Road, Long Pond that council initially rejected back in April, has now been approved, thanks to recent changes in the regulations governing pools. In this case, the permit had been rejected because of the distance between the pool and the house.
Deputy Mayor Andrea Gosse said council felt the rules were outdated and it was time to revisit them. "And this just presented an opportunity," she said. "It will make it a little easier for people who want to have backyard pools."
• A long running debate on how to accommodate a long-standing heavy equipment garage operated by Eric Taylor Limited at 40A Foxtrap Access Road looks to have been resolved.
While the company's operations predate the Town's incorporation, the garage it used to repair its equipment remained in a Residential Zone. That prevented council from approving the company's bid earlier this year to open the facility to repair work for other customers. Several debates on the application split council down the middle.
Tilley explained that after further consideration by the planning committee, and the holding of a public hearing, council has agreed to amend its Development Regulations to accommodate the garage.
"We did have two individuals who attended the information session," Tilley said. "The basic comments were no objection to the proposal. There were some concerns about traffic and a lack of a privacy fence. We think we can work with the proponent on these."
Mayor Bent was also in favour. "I thank council for bearing this out," he said. "We tried to find a way forward so that the proponent would have a straight line to an application to get to the end and decide properly whether this was something we could accept or not accept. And they did that, went through the system, and came out the other end with an approval. And I thank council for working on that with the resident as we always like to do in these cases."
• A home-based nail salon business proposed for 1 Woodpath Road in Chamberlains has been given the go ahead.
"We did circulate notices to the neighbouring properties, and we received one submission in favour," said Tilley. "Off-street parking is available at the property to accommodate the proposed business with client visits, so the committee is recommending approval."
Council approved the use of a home office for a paving company at 25 Sylvia Place, Long Pond, but on condition that the shed on the property not be used for the storage of equipment or goods related to the business. Tilley said the Town will ask the owner to clean up any commercial equipment at the property prior to issuing the permit.
Council rejected an application to extend the dwelling at 5 Sparrow Drive, Chamberlains, because the proposal didn't meet the minimum rear setback requirement.
Council also rejected an application to build a house at 33-35 Thomston Avenue because it wouldn't front directly onto a street constructed to Town standards, and also because the driveway would be less than 10 metres from an intersection.
