Residents and landowners in the Springbank area were given the opportunity to learn more about the review and potential update to the current planning documents providing policy around area development at an information session Nov. 29.
“There’s been a lot of preparation going on over the last year, a lot of technical and background work we’ve been doing on (the project),” said Rocky View County (RVC) planner Dominic Kazmierczak. “This was just a chance to get people aware of the project and address any initial questions.”
A Terms of Reference outlining the scope, study area, and goals and objectives of the review was approved by council in October, which Kazmierczak said “kicked off” the project. This updated document allowed administration to move forward with a review of the planning documents in Springbank – an area which currently contains three Area Structure Plans (ASP), all adopted more than 15 years ago.
“The County Plan has been adopted since then, and the Intermunicipal Development Plan with Calgary, so it’s really time for us to review the current situation in Springbank – bearing in mind those plans, as well as the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan,” Kazmierczak said. “We are looking at how the current ASPs fit with those documents, or what changes might be necessary.”
According to Kazmierczak, this could mean bringing forward minor amendments for council’s consideration, or a complete rewrite of the planning documents. With three ASPs already in place in Springbank, the possibility of amalgamating the current plans is also an option administration may pursue.
“We’ll base these decisions on what the community wants and what kind of feedback we receive throughout this process, as well as the results of our technical reports,” Kazmierczak said. “These reports give us an idea of how servicing and other aspects will work in this area before we commence drafting the plan, so we have a better idea of how much the community can grow.”
More than 60 people attended the initial information session, Kazmierczak said, bringing forward questions around the boundaries of the future ASP and the balance of commercial and residential development within the Springbank community. After a brief presentation, residents were able to participate in a workshop to discuss topics including economic development, managing growth, infrastructure and more.
“It was quite positive, people were appreciative that they could come in and ask questions as we begin the review process,” Kazmierczak said. “We did make it clear that this wasn’t a formal engagement session, we will be looking to start collecting feedback in February and again later in the spring.”
The next opportunity for engagement will present a “broad vision” for the future ASP, Kazmierczak said, to get a feel for what the community would like to see. Then, he said, administration will begin looking at potential land use scenarios and identifying areas where commercial development may be possible.
“We are hoping to write the draft ASP over the summer, and present it to the public in the fall of 2017,” Kazmierczak said. “Hopefully, we can bring it to council in April 2018 for a public hearing.”
For more information about the Springbank ASP review, visit rockyview.ca and search for Springbank Area Structure Plan. Documents can be found in the Building and Planning section, under Plans Under Review.
