Company cancels Braecrest development

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This article was published 29/06/2024 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A planned housing development at the southwest corner of 18th Street North and Braecrest Drive is no longer being pursued because of the expense of connecting the property to the city’s sewer network, the developer says.

Caddy Lake Investments had tried to get the development off the ground since 2012, when its initial proposal to build eight condominium units and a single-family home on the property was opposed by nearby residents, who were concerned about a potential increase in traffic.

In 2020, the developer came back to the Planning Commission with a scaled-down proposal to build five dwelling units on the site. Though nearby residents once again opposed the proposal, Brandon City Council gave final approval to the plan the year after.

Earlier this week, Caddy Lake president John Hooker told the Sun that while his company had initially planned on adding utility services to the property, that turned out not to be “economically feasible” as costs had more than doubled since the initial plans were made.

“So we went back to the city and subsequently we found out through my engineering firm … that there actually was going to be a new mainline sewer put right in front of our property there coming up 18th (Street North),” Hooker said.

However, Hooker said Caddy Lake was unable to reach a deal with the city on connecting with the city’s new line. The company had a June 22 deadline to submit a subdivision plan to Brandon to proceed with the development, which has now passed without any paperwork being submitted.

“This is not a profitable venture,” Hooker said. “This has been a headache and been very expensive. I bought the property because I thought it was a unique piece of property in the middle of Brandon (with) gorgeous, old trees in a great location. I should have done a little more research on it, but it is what it is. We’re not pursuing a development there anymore.”

Now Caddy Lake is planning to try to sell the acre-and-a-half property. For sale signs were posted on the property when the Sun visited on Friday.

A complication stemming from this is that as part of development, Caddy Lake was going to provide a portion of land from the northeast corner of the property to be used as part of the reconstruction of the intersection of 18th and Braecrest.

In 2019, the city proposed transforming that intersection into a roundabout to address safety concerns that have popped up as the neighbourhood has been developed.

However, with 18th Street part of Highway 10 and controlled by the province, any change will require the buy-in of the provincial government.

In May 2023, then-city director of engineering Mark Allard told residents at a ward meeting held by Coun. Heather Karrouze (Ward 1) that the city had pitched the province on a cost-sharing agreement for the redesign and rebuilding of the intersection.

Speaking to the Sun earlier this week, Allard — now the city’s general manager of development services — said that while Brandon has received positive feedback from the province on a potential cost-sharing deal, a memorandum of understanding has yet to be signed.

“My understanding in my most recent conversation with the province is they’ve got the approval through the treasury to spend the money. Now we’re trying to sign an MOU on how we’re going to cost-share,” Allard said. “In the meantime, we’ve been trying to put together a (request for proposals) to go out to consultants to start the design process on it.”

If the development arrangement with Caddy Lake is no longer possible, Allard said an attempt to purchase that triangle-shaped portion of land is the next option the city would likely consider.

When the street is eventually dug up to rebuild the intersection, Allard said that’s when the best time would be to carry out sewer improvements.

“It’s nothing that’s overly critical right now, but it’s something that’s on our list that we recognize needs to be done.”

He said the city didn’t have an issue with Caddy Lake hooking into that new sewer line, but that it won’t be installed until that roundabout is built. Another challenge Allard said Caddy Lake had was that the developable portions of land on the property were on opposite sides of a ravine, which would have made it difficult to properly extend utility services to them.

Ryan Nickel, the city’s director of planning and buildings, said Friday that early conceptual designs for the roundabout required that portion of land from the Caddy Lake property, but it could turn out that the next phase of design will reveal that it isn’t needed.

Basically, he said, it’s too early to say whether it will be a factor in allowing the roundabout to proceed.

Reached for comment by email, Karrouze said she deferred to Allard’s expertise on the matter, but added: “Obviously, the city is anxious to see this intersection improved and await the province moving forward to do so.”

The Sun requested comment on the project from Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor and received a statement from a spokesperson from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) has been in communication with the City of Brandon on a proposed intersection improvement project at the intersection of 18th Street and Braecrest (i.e., a future roundabout),” the statement said.

“The City of Brandon would lead this project with MTI cost sharing. This project is included in the department’s multi-year plan, however timelines are not currently available at this time.”

» cslark@brandonsun.com, with files from Matt Goerzen

» X: @ColinSlark