After a lengthy discussion about procedure, Airdrie City council approved the first two of three readings for a bylaw adopting the Davy Creek Community Area Structure Plan (CASP).
The May 19 decision means the public hearing for Hopewell Residential’s proposed development is now closed, and the project will advance to the Calgary Metropolitan Regional Board (CMRB) for review.
Davy Creek is the proposed development of three new neighbourhoods on lands directly north of Reunion, Williamstown and Silver Creek in northwest Airdrie. The CASP, encompassing 480 acres, is bound to the west by 24 Street, to the north by vacant farmland and to the east by Dickson Stevenson/Main Street.
“Davy Creek is envisioned as a comprehensively planned community in the northwest of Airdrie,” a submission from the developer stated. “The plan area is naturally divided into three neighbourhoods by Nose Creek and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Each neighbourhood will have distinct features and community amenities.”
The CASP includes three mostly residential neighbourhoods, which would boast a collective population of just over 8,000 people and nearly 2,800 dwellings. The area would also feature a proposed elementary school, high school, business park and nearly 20 acres of environmental reserve around Nose Creek.
A future arterial road running east-west would be built on the northern boundary, according to the CASP, and Hopewell also intends to create a pedestrian tunnel under the Canadian Pacific Railway to provide access to the high school site from outside the plan area.
“In recognition of the imminent demand for a high school site in Airdrie, these school sites have been located adjacent to Eighth Street, and just north of the existing community of Silver Creek, so they can be serviced and brought on independent of the surrounding development of the Davy Creek CASP, if desired by the City and the school boards,” Hopewell’s submission stated.
A concern among council members throughout the hearing was the lack of detail included in the CASP.
“It’s really difficult to be sold on a community when those details are lacking,” Coun. Candice Kolson said. “I think we owe it to residents who live in the area to show it to them and sell them that vision as well.”
According to City staff, further details will emerge in later stages of planning.
At the public hearing, residents were allowed to submit questions and concerns about the development. Due to COVID-19, the public hearing was held virtually, and submissions had to be submitted via email or mail ahead of time.
Ten questions from residents were submitted, most of which were related to how traffic congestion and traffic-related noise would be mitigated along Eighth Street. Others asked about how wildlife would be protected, the safety of building a future high school next to the railway, senior housing options within the area and the impact of development near the Nose Creek flood fringe.
Near the end of the public hearing, Couns. Tina Petrow, Kelly Hegg and Kolson said they felt uncomfortable with the hearing being held virtually, since residents who submitted questions were unable to ask follow-ups once their original queries had been answered.
“In my mind, this is not an adequate public hearing,” Kolson said. “We don’t have [the developer] available to speak or answer questions that may arise. We have had an awful lot of submissions from members of the community that I just think we’re not able to address properly using this type of format.”
Petrow echoed those sentiments, and suggested tabling second reading in order to keep the public hearing open.
“I’m still not comfortable moving forward on this, and it’s not because of the plan, but because of the process,” Petrow said. “We are in an extraordinary time, and I don’t believe everyone who wanted to speak had the ability to speak.”
Mayor Peter Brown disagreed, saying the process May 19 was the same used for previous public hearings the City has held – albeit digitally instead of in council chambers.
“It’s exactly the same [process],” he said. “I’m concerned that we think the process isn’t working, because it’s the same process, with some agreed changes, to what we’ve seen in the past.
“In fact, I would argue, based on the feedback we received, that we addressed every single piece of correspondence to the letter. It may not be exactly what those individuals wanted to hear, but at least you all had the opportunity to hear it, digest it and review it. Are we looking for more letters to make it feel like we’ve done our due diligence? Because I would argue we did do our due diligence.”
Council voted 5-2 in favour of second reading, with Petrow and Hegg opposed. Council will vote on third reading at a future meeting, after it has passed through CMRB. If third reading passes, Davy Creek will continue to the NSP stage.
