Bragg Creek may soon be home to a new Carl’s Jr. drive-thru restaurant, following a decision by the Rocky View County (RVC) Development Appeal Board to approve the development permit application – despite an initial refusal from the Development Authority.
“The Development Authority is County Administration, making decisions based on County planning and land use bylaws, and the Municipal Government Act and other statutes,” said RVC Communications Manager Grant Kaiser. “The Development Appeal Board is a quasi-judicial board made up of three councillors and four members of the public, charged with hearing appeals to the decision of the Development Authority.”
Initially, the Development Authority assessed the development permit application as not being compatible with the Greater Bragg Creek Area Structure Plan (ASP) and design guidelines, Kaiser said. RVC received six letters in support of the refusal and one letter in opposition.
“The proposed drive-through may impede pedestrian and vehicle traffic, as the property is located in close proximity to the highway intersection, which is also the main entrance to the hamlet,” Kaiser said. “The application proposed distinctive, high-impact signage that was not consistent with the County’s revitalization efforts.”
Area Councillor Liz Breakey said “big-box franchises” are also not allowed in the hamlet, according to the revitalization plan and the ASP.
According to Breakey, both the Bragg Creek Design Review Committee and RVC administration recommended strongly against the proposed location – within the existing Esso gas station building on Balsam Avenue.
“It is difficult already, with four merging lanes of traffic off Highway 22 and 758,” she said in an email to Rocky View Weekly. “And drivers on their way to the West Bragg Creek Trails have no idea that there will be a dangerous intersection.”
Chair of the Bragg Creek Revitalization Committee, Richard Brown, said while the committee as a whole has not yet discussed the issue, he said he was also concerned with how the restaurant will fit with the ASP and the feasibility of the drive-thru in an area that, he said, is already congested.
Currently, Kaiser said Bragg Creek is already home to a Subway restaurant, but the Carl’s Jr. will be the first drive-thru in the hamlet. He said the County anticipates the success of Carl’s Jr. will be “closely monitored” by other commercial players.
“While the final decision of the Development Appeal Board has not yet been issued, it appears that the Board was satisfied with the character and impact of the proposed development on the hamlet,” Kaiser said.
