The maximum dwelling density of new developments in Crossfield will see a reduction from 10 per acre to six after Town council passed a textual amendment to the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) at its July 5 meeting.
Mayor Nathan Anderson told council a meeting with a developer showing interest in building in the town June 22 indicated now is a good time to review the vision for the town.
“Crossfield is very much known to developers now,” he said. “This is a really important amendment…and we want to get it right.
“We want to maintain the integrity of the community.”
Crossfield’s Chief Administrative Officer Ken Bosman said the previous 10 dwelling per acre maximum was an artifact remaining from the days when the Town was a member of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP).
If it continued to adhere to the CRP’s density requirements, Bosman said Crossfield would be required to build substantially denser developments than the community currently has.
Hearing feedback from residents concerned with maintaining the “small town feel” of Crossfield with its big lots and open spaces, he said council agreed to strip out all the high-density requirements and set the maximum dwellings per acre at six.
“Which is very consistent with where we are right now,” Bosman said.
He added the Town didn’t want to completely shut the door on higher density developments such as condos and assisted living complexes and included a provision written into the MDP textual amendment. The amendment allows developers to submit plans for high-density developments on a case-by-case basis for review, which council could then approve or deny.
“We’re absolutely open to higher density developments but we’re not mandating them,” he said. “What we’re hearing of the marketplace, the developers and everybody out there, is that larger lots and open spaces is what they want.”
Anderson said he was concerned if the town suddenly got too big and too dense it would be at risk of losing that “small town feel” integral to why residents wanted to call Crossfield home in the first place.
By making this amendment, Anderson said council has made a good step towards balancing the integrity of Crossfield with the demand from developers that want to build in the community.
“Striking that balance is a good thing,” he said.
