Six community associations from Stittsville and the surrounding areas have sent a joint letter to Ottawa mayor Jim Watson about Waste Management’s proposed Carp Road landfill expansion.
The letter cites concerns about property values, odours, and transparency about the city’s negotiations with Waste Management.
“Members of the community are anxious about the potential impacts on their property values and future odour problems. They are concerned about how they will be compensated for any losses in value and enjoyment of their property due to the expanding landfill,” the letter states.
Tim Larocque from the Jackson Trails Community Association told StittsvilleCentral.ca in an email that “there is a responsibility to ensure that all precautionary and corrective measures are in place to maintain our quality of living and property values, not just project them.”
“By working together we are hopeful that our city leaders will engage in a transparent process with its constituents to share details of what is being proposed and hear our concerns,” he wrote.
Here’s the full text of the letter:
February 2, 2015
Mayor Jim Watson
Councillors
Eli El-Chantiry
Shad Qadri
Marianne Wilkinson
Scott Moffatt
Re: WCEC landfill and community concerns.
During the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the landfill expansion on Carp Road, Waste Management committed to provide qualified home owners protection against reduction in the value of their homes by reason of the new project. During the course of the EA, a Property Value Protection Program (PVPP) was presented by Waste Management (WM) which listed no qualified properties. The program gave no details on the mechanism used to define how properties were qualified.
Contrary to the WM contention that there are no qualified properties; the City identified the potential for impacts on property values up to 5 km from the new dump. This difference in defined potential for impacts on property values leaves many home owners anxious about how the dump might be a negative factor to selling their home.
During the EA Waste Management also committed to providing an odour enforcement mechanism as additional inducement to WM to ensure odour impacts are rare, minor and addressed promptly. The principles of such a mechanism were presented in the EA but details were left to be negotiated with the City. As odour was a major issue for the community in the past and has potential to greatly impact the area in the future,there is considerable concern about how odours will be monitored, reported, mitigated and compensated for.
Members of the community are anxious about the potential impacts on their property values and future odour problems. They are concerned about how they will be compensated for any losses in value and enjoyment of their property due to the expanding landfill. Communications with Waste Management indicate that they are holding fast with their declaration that there are no properties that qualify for property value protection. We are aware that the City is negotiating with WM on property value protection and odour issues among others, but have few details on what is being proposed. When it comes to protection and enjoyment of the most valuable asset people have (their homes) and assuring the quality of living in the community, details on the level of home value protection and odour mitigation should be open and transparent, with homeowners involved in meaningful dialogue.
We as community associations respectfully request that you and those negotiating with WM meet with our groups to explain what is being proposed and to listen to the concerns of the people living in proximity to the proposed landfill expansion. We are prepared to meet at any time to discuss this most important issue that affects many of your constituents.
(Signed)
Vincent Lavoie, President, Richardson Corridor Community Association
Tanya Heins, President, Stittsville Village Association
Harold Moore, President, Huntley Manor Community Association
Tim Larocque, President, Jackson Trails Community Association
Candace Carson, President, Fairwinds Community Association
Elad Lahv, President, Crossing Bridge Residents’ Association
(NOTE: StittsvilleCentral.ca’s editor is a member of both the Fairwinds Community Association and the Stittsville Village Association.)
Uhm… if my property values go down more than the rest of the city, so will my taxes. Sounds good to me.
Property values is of little consequence. Our generation (and the one before it) is so obsessed with increasing property values, it’s no wonder young adults have to live with their parents until they’re 30 – they can’t afford a place to their own, and it’s our fault.
I grew up in Stittsville and there has always been the dump at the Carp Road. Why is it now that they are concerned about property values? Were the developers concerned with this when all these communities were developed? Many of these communities were created after the dump had been in existence for years. I realize that the expansion is not a favoured plan, but to say now that people are concerned about their property values because of the dump is something I find absurd.
Why would anyone move anywhere close to a dump and then worry about their property values. If these new developments are being built, of course the dump has to expand. Don’t tell me anyone moving there would have thought the dump would get smaller and go away. For that matter I don’t know why those lands were allowed to be rezoned for houses anyways. Buyer Beware.