A flood mitigation project in Bragg Creek continues to roll along, with Rocky View County (RVC) council’s approval of a land acquisition bylaw during a regular meeting March 12.
In February 2017, RVC entered into an agreement with the government of Alberta to plan, design and build flood barrier structures, according to Doug Hafichuk, Capital Projects manager. The agreement included a budget of $15.6 million to acquire lands to construct the barriers. The latest bylaw adopted by council transferred three lots into the County’s possession, designated as Public Utility Lots.
“To date, more than 90 per cent of the project lands have been acquired, and the remainder should be in place for construction to begin in 2019,” Hafichuk said.
While the County is waiting for approval by Alberta Environment, he added, construction will hopefully begin in late summer or early fall.
According to staff’s report, RVC has acquired project lands from 50 properties through purchase, utility right of way and temporary workspace agreements. Seven properties were outstanding as of the meeting, with the County reaching an agreement in principle for six of those properties and continuing landowner discussions for the remaining property.
Council passed similar bylaws in July and November 2018, Hafichuk said.
Third reading was carried unanimously, with Coun. Crystal Kissel absent from the meeting.
Beiseker ICF/IDP
Council unanimously adopted a Terms of Reference (TOR) to guide the creation of an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) and Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) between RVC and the village of Beiseker.
Due to recent amendments to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), as of April 1, 2018, RVC is required to complete IDPs and ICFs with all neighbouring municipalities that are not members of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB), according to Nesreen Ali, Intergovernmental Affairs analyst. The IDPs and ICFs must be in place by April 2020, she said.
“The purpose of the ICF is to identify what and how municipal services are delivered between two adjacent municipalities. That includes recreation, fire, water and wastewater, transportation and emergency services,” she said. “The purpose of the IDP is to address planning and development on lands adjacent to municipal boundaries.”
According to Ali, the County is currently preparing IDPs and ICFs with the Municipal District of Bighorn, Kneehill County, Mountain View County and Wheatland County. The TOR with Beiseker was the first between RVC and an urban neighbour, Ali said, although the County is currently working with Crossfield and Irricana to complete the same agreements.
Ali also noted Beiseker had adopted the TOR in February.
Road Closure
Council voted 6-2 to support to an initiative by the Town of Cochrane to close a portion of Township Road 254, which Ali described as an “undeveloped road allowance along the town’s southern boundary, east of Highway 22.”
“The closure will allow for the relocation of an AltaLink power line, which currently runs diagonally across the Southbow Landing neighbourhood plan,” she said. “The relocation of the power line into the road allowance will allow for residential development to occur on the Southbow lands.”
According to Ali, the owner of adjacent land to the east was concerned about their property’s future access from Cochrane. To address those concerns, she said, the Southbow developer would leave a portion of Township Road 254 open to allow for a future potential access.
Couns. Mark Kamachi and Kim McKylor opposed a motion to approve the road closure, saying they wanted to show solidarity with the landowner who lives in McKylor’s division and owns land in Kamachi’s.
