A proposed sewer extension project in the Hart will not be going ahead.
A petition of affected property owners has failed to garner enough support for the project, which would have cost each property owner $27,000.
The Hart Highlands Sanitary Sewer LAS Phase 4 project was initiated at the request of homeowners who were concerned about their aging septic systems, according to a report to council. Like most municipalities in the province, the city does not contribute to the cost of the extension of sanitary sewers in existing residential areas that are not serviced by the city’s sewer utility. These types of projects are undertaken as local area service agreements. Local area services are improvement projects that benefit a particular area, and are paid for by the benefiting property owners, usually over a 20-year term. The city collected a preliminary survey which indicated support for the project.
The formal petition process, however, had a different result. The formal petition included 106 properties, of which 37 (35 per cent) property owners returned petitions in favour of the project. Those 37 properties represent 34 per cent ($8,707,400) of the total assessed value of land, meaning the petition has failed.
Though the petition for the entire area representing the 106 parcels failed, the petition results revealed that 63 per cent of a smaller area of properties supported the petition. This area includes Dunbar Place, Croft Road and Glengarry Road. Individuals from this area have requested to proceed separately.
