A redesignation for the Springbank Creek Community received third reading by Rocky View County (RVC) council at a meeting June 14, following a public hearing May 24 where the item was given first and second reading. Since unanimous permission was not received at that time, the item was required to be presented to council again for third reading.
Third reading was carried by a vote of 8-1, with opposition from Councillor Jerry Arshinoff. The approved redesignation will facilitate the development of 48 single-detached homes on one-acre lots, with open space lands, public utility lands for servicing and a proposed internal road network.
Third reading was also given to an amendment to the Elbow Valley Area Structure Plan (ASP) and Master Site Development Plan (MSDP) for a residential villa, consisting of 50 semi-detached units located southwest of the intersection of Highway 8 and Lott Creek Boulevard.
The applications were initially presented to council in May 2015, but were tabled until authorization was received from the City of Calgary for the wastewater connection. According to RVC’s General Manager of Infrastructure and Operations, Byron Riemann, the City had raised concerns with the operational impacts of peak inflows.
“The City of Calgary council had already agreed to service these lands,” Riemann said. “The County and the applicant are working together with the City to make sure we address the City of Calgary’s concerns.”
The MSDP was carried unanimously, and the ASP amendment passed 8-1 with opposition from Councillor Lois Habberfield, who said she would have preferred to see a commercial component included in the development.
“I think this might be one of our more robust examples of how, if you take a pause after the hearing and go away, you actually end up with a much better product,” Area Councillor Margaret Bahcheli said. “It was worth waiting for, for the community and for this government. It’s important that we actually do have the contractual commitments before we go ahead and commit to changes in land use.”
