To: ​ Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philips

This letter is regarding the Discretionary Use Ad – Proposed Business Notice to Area Residents issued on Dated December 10, 2021. This letter was written on behalf of the residents of the School Rd subdivision, theSunset Landing subdivision, and other concerned parties in the immediate surrounding Thorburn Rd. area. The intent of this letter is to bring attention to a proposed development that is, in the eyes of aforementioned parties, unfair to existing residents, is potentially hazardous to theexisting environment and requires prompt and thorough attention. We would like to appeal to the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s to halt the proposed building of a senior’scitizen’s complex on the lot of 1484-1490 Thorburn Road.

We believe that adding such a care facilities to our town is very important, especially for our senior’s care and in consideration of our aging provincial population. However, I emphasize that these types of facilities require adequate planning and policy, as well as community support, to implement and manage in small, but growing, community like ours. The need for such commercial facilities must be part of a larger, strategic town development plan, and not simply dropped in the middle of a residential community, jammed between two subdivisions and on an already busy street of Thorburn Rd and connected St.Thomas Line.

The residents believe that this proposed development has the potential to do damage to the immediate andsurrounding environment having a major effect on the natural waterway, increasing the risk for flooding both within the neighborhood and downstream. This disruption can lead to roadway washouts / flooding and property damages for residents of these areas. This type of development will most assuredly bring undue noise and environmental pollution to this pristine neighborhood. The use of industrial heating and cooling units, along withincreased foot traffic to the surrounding areas are some such examples of how this can occur.

In the construction stage of the proposed commercial establishment there will be an increase in heavy equipment, which will result in environmental risk due to noise pollution and potential contamination, also posing safety risk to the area residents.

With the increase in traffic on Thorburn Road, placing a commercial establishment between School Road and Sunset Way subdivision would cause safety concerns for children, as well as an increase risk of pedestrian and vehicle accidents.

Furthermore, it has been seen that an increase in rodent wildlife has been seen from the recent construction across the river and this type of development would only stand to increase such activity by disturbing the natural landscape and habitats for such pests.

This is not to mention the potential for decreased property values that result from such a disruption to the immediate areas, giving residents a financial argument to go along with one of basic comfort in an area that they chose to call home. Additionally, there is a large demographic of children that live in the area and with this development they stand to lose the sense of security, freedom and safety that is enjoyed by the current residential only area in which green space and low noise values are paramount.

The signatories of this letter have great concern that their way and quality of life will be impacted by the allowing of such a development to be built in this location.