A new child care centre proposed for the Southlands/Galway area of St. John’s is being welcomed with open arms by the city.
But like other developments in the area, it’s being held up by a dispute over completion of Southlands Boulevard Extension.
The much-needed child care centre would be a first in the area, employing almost 50 staff to handle between 150 and 200 children.
The centre slated for Claddagh Road received approval in principle at this week’s public council meeting.
But the city says nothing gets the green light until the connection to Galway is completed, for safety and servicing reasons.
Ron Ellsworth St. John’s City Councillor
Councillor Ron Ellsworth says it’s an unfortunate situation but a necessary process.
The limitation here, once again, is we have an agreement with a developer dating back to 2016 which requires completion of Southlands Boulevard,” he said. “What we’re trying to do here is help the proponent move as far as we can through the system, so they get some clarity on what potentially they can be doing in this area. Unfortunately, until there’s a work plan that gets presented to the city on when this (road) will be completed, this is as far as they can go with their application.”
One of the developers involved, Danny Williams, previously butted heads with the city on the same issue.
He says he’s gone as far as he can go with his road from Galway, saying the land in question is owned by another, unnamed developer
