Piwniuk defends access road approval

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This article was published 12/10/2022 (1188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Note: This story has been updated to include comments from VBJ Developments vice-president Steve McMillan.

Manitoba’s minister of transportation and infrastructure denies that he approved a new access road along Highway 10 south of Brandon — against the advice of his own department — because the project is connected to a donor to the premier and the Progressive Conservative Party.

Doyle Piwniuk said his primary concerns are safety and helping Brandon grow as a community. That includes taking into account the input of the developer and the City of Brandon, which supports the project.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be an opportunity for Brandon to get property taxes and development that they can grow, and increase the population, and provide jobs and economic development in the area,” Piwniuk told the Sun.

The NDP, however, accused Piwniuk of ignoring the advice of his own department to advance a project that involves a donor to Premier Heather Stefanson’s 2021 leadership campaign and her party.

“[Piwniuk] was willing to overlook all of those in order to push this development forward,” said NDP infrastructure critic Matt Wiebe. “And so, that’s a big concern for us, and for the people of Brandon.”

The NDP said VBJ Developments is partially owned by “Vionell Bertineous Jacobson III,” who is also known as Jared Jacobson. Jacobson is president and CEO of the Jacobson and Greiner group of companies that include VBJ Developments, states J&G’s website.

VBJ developments vice-president of planning services Steve McMillan said its projects fits with the overall city development and growth plans, and will provide Brandonites with a new major urban development with retail- commercial businesses and residential housing.

“After more than a decade of public engagement and planning on our south-end development along 18th Street in Brandon, we are excited to be moving forward with the support of both the City of Brandon and the Province of Manitoba,” McMillan stated in an email late Tuesday afternoon  in response to the Sun’s request for comment.

“As Brandon continues to expand its urban footprint in the south end, the granting of access off of 18th Street will allow us to move forward to next steps in the planning process,” McMillan added.

The controversy centres around a proposed access point that would lead off of Highway 10 to a VBJ Developments project along the south edge of Patricia Avenue that would include commercial rental units, restaurants, banking, retail and parking for those services.

According to documents obtained by the Sun, consisting of a letter from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) to VBJ Developments and a report provided to Piwniuk signed by MTI’s deputy minister, both dated from August, VBJ Developments has sought the access point since 2016.

The report states that in 2016, the Highway Traffic Board denied an application for an access driveway to the property via a service road alongside Highway 10 because that route was designated “no truck traffic” and there was alternate access along Patricia Avenue.

In 2017-18, as part of a proposed development plan amendment for the area, MTI noted it doesn’t support direct access to Highway 10, and suggested any future traffic study consider improvements to Patricia Avenue to accommodate development.

The report notes that access to the site is currently through Patricia Avenue and no buffer had been proposed for further upgrades there, suggesting the developer and city anticipated all new traffic to be borne by Highway 10.

The report again suggests that access to the VBJ property could be handled through Patricia Avenue with any improvements to the intersection that may be needed, or by closing the existing Patricia Avenue access to make a new one that passes through the development with the cost for any needed highway improvements paid by the developer.

But there are safety concerns noted in the report, including the proximity of other roads that connect with Highway 10 that would make the new access point a violation of MTI’s policy to limit or reduce the number of turning locations and maximize space between driveways.

There should be minimum spacing of 1,600 metres between road connections to the highway with “proper intersection treatments,” the report states, but the proposed access is only 321 metres from Patricia Avenue to the north and 225 metres from a service road to the south.

“Accesses spaced this closely creates traffic operational problems and potential safety concerns as traffic volumes grow, especially in regards multi-commercial development as proposed at this location,” the report states, adding the addition of access points along high-speed highways increases the risk of severe accidents.

Despite those earlier concerns, the letter from MTI deputy minister Sarah Thiele to McMillan, dated Aug. 3, informs McMillan that his request that Piwniuk reconsider a permit for access development along Highway 10 has succeeded. The minister granted the permit on certain conditions.

“At this time, I am able to advise that the minister has reconsidered your application for an access development permit on appeal for an access along PTH 10 South, notwithstanding a previous decision by Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure to deny the permit,” Thiele wrote.

Under the conditions of the permit, VBJ is to provide the department with a traffic impact study and further information that would allow it to determine whether the access road project would hamper drainage from the site. The City of Brandon must also provide a council resolution acknowledging the deviation from MTI policy and expressing support for the access request, the letter stated.

City council, which supports the new access point, has since passed that resolution, according to city manager Ron Bowles. He also said the area is undergoing a transition from rural roads to busier urban streets. During that process, safety features are introduced such as speed limits and traffic lights.

While it’s too early to say what safety measures might be introduced, Bowles said VBJ will hire an engineer to provide a design.

“There’s many more steps that the developer goes through to make that intersection a very safe intersection,” Bowles said.

City administration recommended council support the new access route as one that will serve all future developments south of Patricia Avenue. MTI indicated that access via a future extension of Provincial Trunk Road 110 would be limited.

As the city grows south, posted speed limits will approach 70 km/h, allowing for reduced spacing between access roads, administration stated in its recommendation. Four hundred metres of spacing is common in other Prairie cities, it noted, adding a wetland at the site reduces spacing to 320 metres from Patricia Avenue, but it’s acceptable.

VBJ Developments argued that access from Highway 10 was vital to attracting large commercial tenants to the development, the recommendation says.

The NDP also argued that Piwniuk’s conditional permit for the access route pushes forward a project that needs the support of a $30-million investment in water infrastructure that will lead to rate hikes for Brandon citizens.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com