Rocky View County (RVC) council unanimously approved an amendment to the Dalroy Community Area Structure Plan (ASP) and a land use redesignation to allow for the development of a gas station and convenience store west of the Hamlet of Dalroy, on Oct. 14.
The land, located at the northeast corner of Township Road 254A and Highway 9 (Range Road 272), will be redesignated from Agricultural Holdings District to Business-Highway Frontage District, Residential One District, and Residential Three District. This will allow for a 3.39-acre parcel for the gas station and convenience store, two 2.6-acre parcels for single-detached housing and a remainder area of 10.79 acres.
Administration recommended that the ASP be amended as the County Plan supports the development of hamlets such as Dalroy. The adopted amendment to the Dalroy Community ASP will allow a highway commercial site adjacent to a key intersection in Dalroy, which would provide services for the residents of Dalroy as well as the traveling public utilizing Highway 9.
The applicant, Douglas Surveys (a Calgary-based land surveying company) and landowners Kellan Lester and Keith and Alohree McMurdo, submitted 17 letters from area residents indicating support of the proposed ASP amendment, land use redesignation, and potential subdivision.
“The convenience store and gas station is a definite bonus for the community. All the people we’ve discussed it with, they are all in favour,” said Brandon Lester, brother of the applicants.
However, Dalroy resident Irvine Chamney was present to voice his opposition. He said that while he has no issue with subdivision for residential purposes, he does not think a commercial development is appropriate for the hamlet.
“There will be increased traffic through our community, which means people speeding through our playground zones, and more dust and noise, and generally a fallback in the community country living that we have come to experience and enjoy,” said Chamney.
“I’m sure that people would use it for a quart of milk or whatever, in fact, I probably would myself. Nonetheless, I would rather drive to Langdon or Chestermere to make that purchase, because I think this is the wrong fit for the community at this time.”
Area Councillor Earl Solberg, who supported the application, asked if there was any interest from name-brand operators as far as developing a gas station on the location.
“Gas Plus has indicated that they would be interested in that parcel because of the location of it,” Lester said. “Everyone figures 16 km is not that far to go to get gas or a loaf of bread, but when you are coming to Calgary and you forget to get gas, you have to go all the way back to Langdon or Irricana or Conrich.”
At this time, no subdivision application has been submitted to create these parcels.
