Despite the miserable weather and a turnout of only 16 people, an open house for the Gardner Ranch development at Springbank Heritage Centre on Feb. 11 offered an opportunity for local residents to get more information about the project.
According to developer Guy Buchanan, Gardner Ranch is an Elbow Valley-style project that maintains the look and feel of currently established land in the area along Highway 8. Gardner will be located on 1,500 acres of land north of the highway down to the Elbow River, and is planned to accommodate 1,800 residential units.
“All of the residential lots back onto significant open space,” Buchanan said. “In fact, 40 per cent of this plan is open space, keeping our development congregated in areas that are less environmentally important.”
The development will host a variety of housing choices, Buchanan said – predominantly single family dwellings, as well as an area for villas and some townhomes located in Gardner Village Centre.
In addition to residential properties, Buchanan said the development will accommodate commercial space, space for public and private health care providers, 50 acres of land for an equine research and teaching facility for the University of Calgary and even an expansive recreation facility.
“We talked to people in this area for our market research, to find out from current residents what they like about living here,” he said. “People love it, but the main issue was that there is nothing for their kids to do – they have to drive into the city for recreation.”
Buchanan said there are already 330 families who have registered their interest in the Gardner Club, and 120 of those are families located within Rocky View County (RVC). Developers are also in discussions with Alberta TrailNet to connect to the Bragg Creek bike path system, potentially adding another four miles of trail throughout the area.
“We’ve really tried to remain respectful of the agricultural heritage of this area, and along our trails we will have sites interpreting the history of the land,” Buchanan said. “We are still a fairly young country, and this history is important to preserve for future generations.”
According to the historical study done in the area, the Gardner Ranch development is home to 33 historical sites – all of which will be preserved and noted for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Since the project is located in an area identified for development within RVC’s County Plan, Buchanan said he is excited to offer a development that maintains the integrity of the region. He added that all of the development will be kept well out of the flood plain, ensuring the safety of residential property in the case of a 2013 flood event.
While not many residents attended the open house to discuss their concerns, Springbank resident Ted Doan made sure to come out and learn more about the development.
“I don’t know if I’m interested in more development, but there are growth strategies that are in place,” he said. “We will have an increased population, and our economy needs growth.”
He added that the proposed plan indicated there would still be a fair amount of green space, which he said he appreciated. According to Buchanan, most of the response he has received so far has been positive.
“We want to make sure this area is developed appropriately,” Buchanan said. “Higher end housing, and something that you can get in (RVC) that you just can’t find in Calgary.”
Buchanan said the first stage of land use redesignation should be ready for public hearing this spring. If approved, he said he hopes to see the second stage approved by the end of the year. Following a year of design work, Buchanan said construction on the development could begin in 2017.
