Rocky View County is hosting an open house to gain input from residents on the Highway 8 corridor.
The open house will take place at Redwood House in Redwood Meadows, June 23 from 5 to 8 p.m.
County staff and facilitators will be on hand to discuss information gathered from a series of focus groups to determine a fair and effective planning strategy for the area.
“We would like to have lots of residents come out, the more the better,” said Linda Ratzclaff, Rocky View County manager of policy and land use. “We really want to hear from everyone as we start this process.”
Two attempts at creating planning documents for the area, including an area structure plan and community development strategy, have failed over the past three or four years.
The main reason was the disparity between those who lived on the east and west sides of Highway 8.
“In the middle, we had a very strong development group that had interest in the land,” said Ratzclaff. “Both sets of residents felt they weren’t being heard over the developers.”
The County is hoping this attempt will be more successful.
This spring, the County hired a mediator and met with seven small focus groups within the area to gain input into how residents would like to see the area planned.
Staff also conducted a consultation with developers.
“We really felt we had to do something different,” said Ratzclaff.
“We have done two of the more traditional things and it just didn’t make the mark. We are trying to design a process that will work for the whole community.”
The information from the focus groups has been compiled into a report.
Now staff wants to generate ideas from the general public.
“We are asking for feedback,” said Ratzclaff. “Does this work for the whole community?”
Last week, Rocky View staff mailed a survey to 1,200 landowners in the area. The survey, which includes about two pages of questions, will be used to garner additional input. Residents can fill out the surveys online or send them back through the mail by July 9.
Currently, the area doesn’t have its own planning document. Staff feels such a plan is necessary because of the growth in the area.
“We are starting to get development pressure in the area,” said Ratzclaff. “We have a lot of developers out there buying up land. Once we get the information…we will be able to sit down and … say this is how the community wants to go through the process.”
