Several applications to close and consolidate portions of road allowance were presented to Rocky View County (RVC) council on Sept. 15.
The Hutterian Brethren Church of Beiseker’s application requesting the closure of four portions of road allowance (undeveloped Range Road 271) located on both sides of Highway 72 was approved unanimously by council. The approximate closure area of 16 acres will be consolidated with the adjacent parcels to the west for continued communal farm operations.
Due to a tie vote, an application to close a 0.8-acre portion of undeveloped road allowance known as First Avenue in Conrich was denied. The application proposed to consolidate a portion of the road with the applicant’s parcel, and the other portion would become freehold title to RVC for future infrastructure projects.
Area Councillor Earl Solberg moved first reading of the bylaw, which failed on a tie with Councillors Jerry Arshinoff, Bruce Kendall, Liz Breakey and Reeve Margaret Bahcheli voting in opposition.
“I don’t understand why we do not want to keep the road allowances we have,” Arshinoff said. “The amount of money (RVC) will get for selling this land is miniscule, quite possibly even less than the cost of administration to conduct this hearing. Will we ever need that road allowance? Probably not, but I don’t know that and I don’t see what advantage there is to doing this.”
An application to close an undeveloped portion of Old Banff Coach Road was also denied after a tie vote. The approximate 4.08-acres of road plan was proposed to be consolidated with the adjacent lands to the north. Although Area Councillor Liz Breakey said she was “on the fence,” she made a motion to approve the request as recommended by council.
“I think it’s premature and I don’t think we know all the options that are available to the County or where this will unfold, given its proximity to Highway 22, the Town of Cochrane and growth corridors,” Kendall said. “It’s very difficult for me to support a closure and sale of a piece of property such as this without knowing the dollars we would receive.”
After listening to the commentary from the other councillors, Breakey voted to oppose her own motion – along with Councillors Arshinoff, Kendall, and Reeve Margaret Bahcheli – and the motion failed.
Following the hearings, a motion arising made by Kendall was passed requesting administration provide council with a report on whether the County should get an appraisal of the value of road closure land before council is asked to vote on the closure.
According to Grant Kaiser, manager of communications services with RVC, the current policy requires applicants to pay for an appraisal only if council agrees to the closure at first reading.
“If a change is approved, the applicant will have to pay for the appraisal up front, whether council approves the closure or not,” Kaiser said in an email to Rocky View Weekly. “There are good and bad points to both approaches.”
Kaiser added administration’s report and recommendations will be presented to council at a future meeting.
