Council unanimously supported Coun. Pat Wilson's move to green light the application to develop the Jones Estate land by giving it single family residential status (R-1) with the caveat of building one house in what was viewed as the most suitable compromise to end the on-going saga. "We were hopeful it would remain as it is ... but I can understand the need for council to weigh out and it's a compromise, in essence," said Vistas resident Gary Kooistra, adding that he and fellow residents will look for assurances that parameters would be in place to ensure that any future development would align with Wilson's sentiment of "one house, one dwelling unit." "Recognizing the precarious position highways (Alberta Transportation) has put us in ... it was a good decision," added fellow Vistas resident Rod Rutherford, with reference to the highway access that was taken away, essentially secluding the Jones Estate Land and forcing traffic along the narrow lane that runs through the Vistas. Administration has been directed to return to the Nov. 12 council meeting with amendments for council to vote on, but the support to put an end to the revolving doors of applications to develop on the contentious site has been made clear. An application to develop on the four-acre parcel of land located adjacent to the community of the Vistas has been before two different councils over the last three years. The most recent application by Quantum Place Developments Ltd. (QPD) was to rezone from Urban Reserve to R-1 and build 11 units on the site. While QPD maintained that it has addressed concerns regarding slope stability, ground/storm water drainage and traffic, an army of Gleneagles residents once again spilling out of the gallery and into the hallway remained unconvinced. Last month, a packed house drew several presentations from concerned residents – professionals residing in the community that included retired engineers, construction specialists and a lawyer among them. Four-plus hours of presentations resulted in the longest public hearing in chambers to date. Not one resident spoke in support of development on the site. Jessica Karpat, principal-planning for QPD, said the company will reserve official comment until council officially votes on the matter at the next council meeting. "What I understand their intent to be was to stop the amount of land use applications (on that site) ... there's still an undetermined outcome for this land," said Karpat. Coun. Alex Reed touted Wilson's motion as "brilliant," withdrawing his initial motion to strike down the development altogether, in favour of putting a measure in place that would halt future development applications and put the onus on the Gleneagles residents to continually return to council to reiterate their concerns. Mayor Jeff Genung concluded that "for me, the R-1-1 is the way to deal with this" – recognizing that the entire process has been exhausting for the opposing residents. The Jones Estate land is named after the two Jones sisters, now deceased, who resided in the original home that was torn down on the property several years ago.
