During a regular meeting June 25, Rocky View County (RVC) council unanimously approved an application that will facilitate the future creation of four 20-acre parcels with a 76-acre remainder on agricultural land at the northwest junction of Range Road 53 and Grand Valley Road, southwest of Bottrel. The land is currently an unsubdivided quarter section being used as pasture for cattle, according to planner Xin Deng.
“The applicant indicated the purpose of this application is to sell these 20-acre lots and to generate some revenue to assist the business operation of the ranch,” she said. “They believe the proposed four-lot subdivision is an efficient subdivision compared to four ‘first-parcel-out’ subdivisions on the other quarter sections they own.”
Deng noted the applicant had not demonstrated a new or distinct agricultural use for each new parcel; however, council felt the application made sense as it preserved other agricultural land in the area.
“Not first-parceling-out four other quarter sections, and leaving them undivided [for] good, prime ranching and hay production, is more than enough to look past this ‘new and distinct,’ and take the worst agricultural part of the quarter section and put it into smaller parcels,” Coun. Kevin Hanson said. “Even though it’s slightly against the rules – I think you could follow the rules, but RVC would be worse off if we did.”
