Despite an obvious lack of skills I have made a side by side comparison of Qualico’s proposed R1E Estate lots (1/4 acre each) surrounding Smith Farm Coulee with the City property map database. My rough comparison shows that the developers have, as they maintained, retained the vast majority of the riparian forest in their development plan. Out of the 151 total acres in the upcoming zoning application, Save Our Seine is primarily concerned with these riverside 5 acres. I imagine that SOS is pleased with this proposal.
I recall that the location for the existing AT trail system through the Bois-des-esprits forest in built Royalwood was approved quite some time after the land had been formally obtained by the City. As SOS VP at the time I walked through the forest along with long time local property owner Dave Venema and the City Naturalist’s GPS crew. Dave, a longtime resident and Save Our Seine board member, showed us what he considered to be the potential pathway. Local horse and deer trails made some of his trail choices obvious. That trail is what we walk in the B-D-E today.
Qualico and Landmark have been careful not to make any indications where the City’s new gravel Active Transportation pathway along the Seine in South Royalwood could or should go. They and the City are currently discussing just that. SOS has not been part of exact trail location discussions to date. In truth, as there are other landowners with undeveloped lands and trails to both their north and south, Qualico does not have any existing pathways to connect to. This deserves careful thought.
While Qualico maintains that dotted lines are not needed at this point, there is a risk for SOS and the City. If Qualico uses all of the already cleared lands for its valuable R1E executive lots, SOS and the City could be left with Sophie’s Choice. Do they chop down trees to make a connecting pathway in the forest, or do they create a glorified sidewalk beside the new street instead?