Council for the Rural Municipality of Hanover will use the next week to ponder a request from one of its own.

Councillor Darrin Warkentin removed himself from the Council table Wednesday morning, prior to the start of a public hearing. That is because Kleefeld Developments, on behalf of Darrin and Alwiera Warkentin, has proposed the development of land southeast of Kleefeld for rural residential lots. The land is located at the junction of Road 32N and Road 28E.

The proposed subdivision would see the creation of 65 new lots on more than 100 acres of land. Administration told Council that no public green space is provided although the developer has discussed the possibility of a walking trail system within the affected area. 

Approximately 30 people attended Wednesday's public hearing and Hanover Reeve Jim Funk says most of them appeared to be opposed to this development. He notes there were generally two reasons for the opposition: drainage concerns and not wanting this development in that area. 

According to Hanover Administration, provincial regulations and municipal standards require the developers to engage with a professional engineer to design a drainage system that would result in a zero-runoff coefficient. What that means is that the water cannot leave the land any faster than it does in its current state. 

At the public hearing, a package was handed to Council with signatures from more than 80 residents opposing this development. Their concerns included a breakdown of roads in the area. According to Hanover Administration, in 2015, the municipality rebuilt the first half mile of Road 28E heading south from Road 32N. The second half mile of this road was rebuilt in 2021. Wes Fehr, Manager of Public Works says the road is now in excellent condition and can handle the additional traffic load the proposed development will generate.

Others who spoke against the request noted the change in the rural landscape this will create, suggested this will only make that highway more dangerous and questioned whether this will cause wells in the area to run dry. 

Another concern raised at the public hearing was a perceived conflict of interest, seeing as it is a Hanover Councillor requesting this development in his own municipality. Reeve Jim Funk says he can see why some might think that, however, according to Funk, the process of rezoning this land from Agricultural to Residential started already back in 2015. And, in 2015, Warkentin was not yet a Councillor in Hanover. 

Further to that, Funk says Warkentin removed himself from the Council chamber at the start of the hearing. And Funk says nowhere in Hanover's bylaws does it say that a current councillor cannot apply for a subdivision or development.

"We have to treat Councillor Warkentin the same as we would treat anybody else," says Funk. "There are no favours and we cannot hold back from him either."

Following the public hearing on Wednesday, Council decided it needed additional time to consider the request. It plans to make a decision at the December 21st meeting. Funk says Councillor Warkentin will be unable to vote on the matter. He will also remove himself from the discussion at that meeting.