In a nine to seven vote, Rocky View County council approved a subdivision dividing 13 acres in Bearspaw, Feb. 1.
The land, which is just off of Bearspaw Summit Road, will result in two parcels, eight and five acres in size.
“This application is consistent with the Bearspaw Area Structure Plan (BASP) and the area in general,” said Councillor Al Sacuta.
“There is no strong support or opposition, I think it shows the residents can certainly live with the proposal.”
There is a history of rezoning applications for this land, beginning in 2009 when the owner proposed six two-acre parcels.
That application, which received two letters in opposition out of 54 resident notifications, was withdrawn and replaced in June, 2010 with one proposing three four-acre lots.
That application was revised last November to its current state.
The lots will be accessed via a panhandle road, a design discouraged in the BASP and of concern to Councillor Rick Butler, who voted against the application.
“Can’t we just have a legal access on the existing road?” said Butler.
“I’m missing the compelling need for a panhandle.”
County planner Rick Michalenko defended staff’s choice of proposing a panhandle due to the area’s topography and ponds.
He added that the panhandle access will also make future subdivision unrealistic.
“Administration’s (plan), 99 times out 100, is that lots should physically abut a county-standard road so there is an alternate access for the applicant,” said Rick Michalenko, municipal planner.
The new lot will get its water from the Rocky View Water Co-op, and will have a private sewage system.
Storm water is a concern in the area, and several ponds are located on and beside the property.
A utility right-of-way plan and easement are included in the design for future development of stormwater infrastructure, as two drainage routes, identified in a County drainage plan, run through the land.
Developers will also be responsible for managing runoff generated at the site.
Councillor Kim Magnuson voted in opposition to the subdivision, citing concerns about standing ponds and potential flooding.
“This is the cumulative effect of continuing to allow these developments to go ahead,” said Magnuson.
“We created this and now we have to fix it. I would like to see a plan to deal with the stormwater before we approve any more developments in the area.”
