Thanks to a donation of 2.1 acres of land worth approximately $1 million, the Rocky View Foundation will move forward with its plans to construct an independent living facility in the hamlet of Bragg Creek.
“We were very fortunate to receive this donation from Dick Koetsier, a Bragg Creek resident who has been very generous to the community in many areas, particularly since the flood,” said Carol Borschneck, chief administrative officer with the Rocky View Foundation, which received title for the property on Dec. 23, 2015.
According to Borschneck, the foundation conducted a study in 2015 that determined there was a need for seniors housing in the southwest corner of Rocky View County – specifically, she said, in Bragg Creek. With a supported living facility already located in Cochrane, the study showed a need for independent apartments in Bragg Creek.
The project was initiated by a grassroots community group in Bragg Creek, Borschneck said, known as the Bragg Creek Seniors Housing Society. Thanks to the support of the group and the donation of land from Koetsier, Borschneck said the foundation will finally be able to make progress on its goal of providing seniors housing within the hamlet.
“I decided quite a few years ago that I wanted to help bring seniors housing facilities to Bragg Creek,” Koetsier said. “Living in Bragg Creek, everyone has to take care of themselves – with their own wells, plowing their own driveways – and when residents get older and can’t do those things anymore, they end up having to leave the community to get the support they need. It’s very sad, forcing our older generation to relocate.”
Koetsier purchased the land, the site of the former Steak Pit restaurant, the day before the hamlet was devastated by flooding in 2013. He said since building codes and development bylaws within the hamlet made it too difficult to restore the restaurant, he had to “throw in the towel” after two years.
With plans to hopefully “recreate” the historic Steak Pit restaurant at another location, Koetsier decided to donate the 2.1 acres to the foundation.
“This land seemed very complementary to a residential application, and it’s high enough that it can quite easily be built to withstand another flood,” Koetsier said. “I think this project could really be something positive for the community – it could create a spark that will bring some life and light into the hamlet that everyone will benefit from.”
However, the foundation will need to wait for the Province to move forward with its planned flood mitigation efforts in the Bragg Creek area, Borschneck said. According to Borschneck, the proposed berming will impact the land donated by Koetsier.
“We are moving forward with the planning stages right now, but I can’t say when we would be able to open,” Borschneck said. “We need to make sure that when we do build, the land is safe and the property is protected.”
