A big change is coming to the west side of Niverville, after Town Council gave the green light to a road closure and land sale that clears the way for a major development project.
On June 17, Council approved final readings of By-Law 876-25 and 877-25, which closes off a planned but unbuilt road called Venture Way. The land will now be sold to Avedo Construction, who plans to build high-density apartments, condos, and commercial spaces in the area near Krahn Road.
While there’s no finalized design yet, Council did approve the concept of a future development earlier this year.
“We’re simply making sure the developer can move forward,” said CAO Eric King. “The road was never built, and the land’s been planned for development for a while. This just makes it official.”
Council also gave first reading to By-Law 878-25, which is in regards to rezoning the piece of land, which is much further north up Krahn Road, than the section of land that was previously Venture Way, Agricultural Limited to High-Density Residential. That change will go to a public hearing before it becomes final.
Developer is looking to add a new road
As part of the expansion, the developer is also looking to build a new road from Krahn Road heading east toward Mulberry Avenue. Council will be considering that next as part of the broader plan to improve traffic flow in the area.
Traffic light plans get a boost
Along with development updates, Council approved a scope change to a 2021 contract with Stantec (formerly Morris & Hershfield) to design traffic lights at the intersection of PR 311 and Krahn Road.
This change will cost just over $33,000 and was brought forward to ensure the traffic light designs move ahead quickly, even though the Province usually handles that kind of work.
Eric King explained, “Historically, it's been done by the province, but if we want this done quickly, we have to take it on ourselves.”
Councillor Chris Wiebe questioned the move, asking if the Province would pay the town back.
“That’s the plan,” King replied.
Wiebe also asked why this wasn’t part of the original roundabout project.
“This is more about the electrical engineering component,” King said. “We're just expanding the scope. The lights and the roundabout are one project.”
Councillor Nathan Dueck asked about timelines. King said it would likely take “a month or two” to complete the signal design, since most of the street design work is already done.
Mayor Myron Dyck summed it up simply after the vote passed unanimously: “It’s carried.”
With major developments, traffic improvements, and rezoning in motion, it looks like west Niverville is on track for some big changes in the near future.