Iqaluit’s Road to Nowhere subdivision plans take shape

Christopher Moise, an urban designer from Fotenn — an Ottawa based design firm — answered questions about the proposed Road to Nowhere subdivision plans at the Anglican Parish Hall in Iqaluit Nov. 27. Designers proposed a mix of multiplex and single family homes. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)

This graphic shows the City of Iqaluit’s two options for development of the new Road to Nowhere subdivision.

Plans to develop the Road to Nowhere subdivision in Iqaluit are finally going somewhere.

About 15 members of the public turned up at a public consultation meeting Nov. 26 at the Anglican Parish Hall to grill urban designer Christopher Moise on two proposed plans for the new residential subdivision.

One plan involves a 600-unit option and the other, a 651-unit option, but both plans have relatively the same street pattern.

At the meeting Moise talked about the potential for an elementary school and commercial space within the area.

“In terms of land use, everything is residential, except for a site that has been earmarked for a school. This is, as I understand, under discussion right now,” Moise said.

“And even though we don’t have any commercial land, we are working on the opportunity for a mixed-use opportunity if that presents itself,” he said.

The proposal for mixed residential and commercial space in the area drew a lot of interest from the public, with people keen on the idea of a neighbourhood coffee shop.

“We are going to be looking — at the next level of design development — the opportunity to give some flexibility to zoning to allow for commercial if it is feasible,” Moise said.

Moise pointed out that there will also be plans to create a park in the subdivision. And there will also be special attention given to snowmobile and walking trails.

The subdivision would be built in three phases, according to Moise.

And, when it’s completed, Moise said there could be up to 2,500 people living in the subdivision.

One person at the meeting questioned how much recreational usage of the area would be changed.

“A lot of people go out there for bonfires in the summer. In the fall there’s berry picking. There’s a gun range on that road. And also in the winter there’s a snowmobile path there,” said Franco Buscemi, an Iqaluit resident.

Moise responded by saying that the plans are in place to “embrace all those functions.”

There are also potential plans to build a new legislative assembly building and a Northmart store around the area, Moise said — but not inside the subdivision’s borders.

So far, there are no plans for paved roads but there will be utilidor service.

A number of other issues were discussed, including road width, parking, lot size and sustainable development of the area.

“Now we take away and gather our thoughts and all the people we’ve spoken to and we continue to develop the design at a finer grain of detail,” Moise told Nunatsiaq News after the meeting.

He said the plan in place right now is not a rough draft, but a “high level concept.”

“Now we’re going to get closer to the ground and we’re going to start to be able to see details that are going to flush this idea out,” Moise said.

Next up: preparing another draft for February which will incorporate what the public has said. Those plans will be presented to the community and to city council.

Final plans will be presented in April and then it’s up to the city to accept or reject them.

The new area will cost the city about $22 million for roads and servicing. Construction in the new subdivision is expected to begin in early 2016.