The final version of Cochrane’s Growth Management Strategy was carried unanimously during the May 13 meeting of Town council at the Cochrane RancheHouse.
The high-level document encompasses all of Cochrane and addresses the management of the town’s property and employment growth for the next 50 years. It was designed to answer the following four questions:
• How much land is required to accommodate growth?
• What are the infrastructure requirements to accommodate the projected growth?
• Does the land supply match the demand for the next 50 years?
• What growth management initiatives are required to achieve the Town’s overall goals and future vision?
Presented by Stephen Utz, senior planner with the Town, the strategy predicts the population of Cochrane to grow from its current estimation of about 18,000 to a projected population of more than 65,000 in 2062.
With that growth comes the need for the appropriate amount of land to accommodate residential, employment (industrial and office) and commercial land use. According to the strategy, there will be an excess supply of residential and commercial land, but a shortfall for land designated for employment use.
“There’s an opportunity to strategically redistribute in that time (50 years),” said Utz. “It also suggests we won’t need to annex for the next 50 years because overall, especially if we are able to strategically redistribute lands, we have enough land for the next 50 years.”
For Councillor Joann Churchill, a big concern was how this redistribution was going to happen.
But with a plan to monitor the population growth every three to five years, Senior Manager of Planning and Engineering Services Kathy Dietrich said the strategy will allow for time to review how land is distributed.
“As we see our economic development strategies and economic development plan moving forward, we’ll be able to have a better sense of the uptake and density of the employment lands,” said Dietrich.
Mayor Truper McBride applauded Town staff for not considering another annexation, instead looking to save taxpayer dollars and avoid any additional sprawl.
“There are feelings out there right now that Cochrane is growing all over the place and doesn’t appear to be focused,” said McBride.
“To me, part of the Growth Management Strategy is to look at if we need to grow in every direction at the same time, or if we should concentrate and focus on developing complete communities.”
