‘No way to get there’: Rosewood residents petition road plan

When Scott Claffey bought his home in Rosewood in 2014, there was no road access to the front of his home — but he and other homeowners were told one would be installed.

Four years later, there’s still a crater in front of his house.

New plans shown to residents off Rosewood Boulevard East show a park where a cul-de-sac — Hathway Close — was once promised.

“This is the front of my house, and there’s no way to get there,” he told 650 CKOM.

An alley provides the only vehicle access to the rear of 13 homes that front onto an empty space off Rosewood Boulevard East. (Chris Vandenbreekel/650 CKOM)

The only access to the row of houses facing the empty land is through an alley which their backyards and garages back on to.

People visiting the homes are left to knock on back gates, with limited access to the front doors.

Claffey said emergency vehicles can fit down the narrow path, but it’s a tight squeeze.

“They have to back out, they can’t maneuvre around at all,” he said.

“Fighting any structure fire is quite difficult for them.”

Claffey has gathered over 100 signatures of area residents concerned about the plan for a park over a road. While only a dozen homes sit on his row, others are worried about traffic in the alley from visitors looking to access their complex.

A new concept plan from Arbutus proposes a six metre-wide “green corridor” with a pedestrian walkway separating the row of homes from the

A new concept plan from Arbutus Properties depicts a “green corridor” where a cul-de-sac was originally proposed. (City of Saskatoon)

backyards of another future development.

“I love nature, it is nice, but there needs to be a road for safety’s sake,” he said.

Vantage Developments, the company that built the condo community Claffey lives in, said they were surprised to learn the plan for the front of the homes had changed.

“I just don’t see how a change in the concept plan in front of an existing development is called for at this point,” Vantage Developments co-owner Jason McCumber said.

“It’s concerning.”

He said Vantage only owned the development of homes itself, and the plan for Hathway Close was left to Arbutus Properties — the company that owns the overall Meadow Green development.

Arbutus President Jeff Drexel told 650 CKOM it would be up to Vantage to pay for a road in front of their development.

“We had nothing to do with that development,” Drexel said.

“That road definitely isn’t our financial responsibility.”

He added it’s not unusual for a developer to change a concept plan in the early stages of developing a neighbourhood, and since Arbutus didn’t have money to fund the roadway they decided on a park instead.

An arrow depicts where Hathway Close was originally planned. The cul-de-sac would have provided access to the front of 13 free-standing condos. (City of Saskatoon)

McCumber said if a different concept plan had been presented to Vantage before construction, they would have designed their development differently.

City of Saskatoon director of planning Lesley Anderson said in a statement the city and Arbutus listened to feedback from a June 5 public meeting with residents.

“The meeting concluded with the City and Arbutus agreeing to take another look at the plan to explore options for access. We will provide and update to the community once this has been done,” the statement read.

The concept plan will be presented to city council for debate during a public hearing on Oct. 22.