The Editor,

Re Developers court lawsuit over “restrictive” Chelsea zoning:

Let me reply to the article (Low Down, Jan. 9 edition) regarding the PAE zoning, especially concerning the Hollow Glen development.
First of all, the zoning should not be something new to the developer (Jean-Pierre Poulin, Devcore) as it has been the zoning since 2005.
Also, all the documentation concerning the PAE zoning and how to submit a PAE project is available publicly on the Chelsea website.

Therefore, if the developer would have read the documentation prior to buying the land, he would have known what to expect, especially in terms of required approbations and delays. The rules where clear when he acquired the land in 2010.

The same developer, who recently claimed he wanted to work with the community, seems to have stopped all kind of dialog as he is threatening to sue the municipality.
Also, after the last presentation of the project, the project size was
reduced by the developer to something like 40 houses to preserve the wildlife corridor. It seems that once again, the developer has changed his idea as he is mentioning 70 houses in your article. The same developer has already stated in an article in Le Droit that even if he were developing doghouses, the residents would not accept it.
Furthermore, the developer seems not to have read the municipal bylaws even after everything he went through – as in September, he rented part of his land to a farmer so he can put his cows in the field. But this kind of usage, according to Chelsea’s bylaws pertaining to PAE zoning, is not legal.
In these conditions, how do you want the adjacent residents to put their trust in a developer that keeps changing his plans and does not seem to be willing to play by Chelsea’s bylaws.
Yves Bethencourt
Chelsea, Quebec