Council unanimously approved a conceptual scheme for an industrial development on two sections of land in the East Balzac area, July 27.
High Plains Industrial Park, located south of Highway 566 between Range Roads 290 and 291, will include a mix of commercial and industrial uses of varying intensity.
The northern portion will be developed as a campus-style business park, while lands further south will transition from a mix of commercial, office and light industrial developments to industrial developments likely focusing on outside storage and heavier industrial processing.
“It attracts alternate business,” said Reeve Lois Habberfield. “It offers less expensive industrial land for companies and helps add to our tax base and employment and helps pay back the cost of the infrastructure in the area.”
The proposal fits into the Balzac East Area Structure Plan, which identifies this area as suitable for businesses and industry requiring larger lots and less municipal servicing.
Landscaped buffers and architectural controls along the northern portion will help the development fit in with adjacent lands.
Eight ponds will collect and filter stormwater naturally. A mechanical treatment plant will further treat the water for use in industrial processing, irrigation and enhanced evaporation.
“It makes sense to capture and reuse stormwater,” said Habberfield, adding that it will be an affordable water source for businesses in the industrial park.
The applicant also proposed a unique partnership with Olds College.
An applied research laboratory within the industrial park, in which the college will conduct ongoing aquatic vegetation research, species production and operational monitoring on the lands, will help the institution in its pursuit to become an industry leader in cold climate wetland research.
“That is an exciting concept, just the idea that they are going to do things and use ideas that no one else has done before,” said Habberfield. “We want to be known as a leader in cutting edge technologies and innovative ideas. We are interested in attracting innovative concepts and plans.”
Developers still have to present an outline plan and go through the redesignation and subdivision stage before the plan can be realized.
The entire industrial park will be built in stages over the next 15 to 20 years.
