The final phase of Alandale Estates in Springbank will move forward, following Rocky View County (RVC) council’s approval of a conceptual scheme for Lazy H Estates during a regular meeting May 14.
Accompanying amendments to the Central Springbank Area Structure Plan (ASP) were also approved, to accommodate the inclusion of the conceptual scheme. According to planner Xin Deng, the new planning document will guide the development.
The proposal includes a bareland condominium with nine 2-acre residential lots, a 7.3-acre common unit containing Hogdson Pond, and two Municipal Reserve (MR) lots on land south of Springbank Road and east of Range Road 31. The creation of a condominium board to maintain the pond within the common unit was also detailed within the document.
“The conceptual scheme proposes to dedicate two open space corridors as Municipal Reserve, rather than pay cash-in-lieu payment,” Deng said.
Additionally, the plan proposed a Home Owners Association (HOA), comprising landowners adjacent to the corridors, would maintain the lands under a formal occupancy agreement, according to Deng. She noted that such an agreement would not be enforceable – should the HOA fail, she said, RVC would assume maintenance of the lands and associated operational costs, creating possible operational issues for the municipality.
According to Deng, MR lands are to be used for public parks, recreation areas or schools, and must be developable. Due to their irregular shape, she said, the proposed MR lots did not meet that criteria.
MR lands also cannot be unwanted lands, she added. The County has no need to acquire more land to support public parks or recreational activities in the area, Deng noted, as RVC already holds nearby MR lands.
“What the County really needs is cash-in-lieu,” she said. “The cash we collect will contribute to recreational service in the same district.”
Administration instead recommended the two proposed MR lots be renamed and placed under the ownership of the condominium board as common properties, and that cash-in-lieu be paid during the subdivision stage. The condominium board would have the ability to strike an agreement with local landowners to continue maintenance of the green spaces. This recommendation nullified the need for an HOA.
Several Alandale Estates residents spoke during the public hearing, chiefly concerned about the maintenance of the green space. Residents said they had been maintaining the proposed MR lots for several years and preferred keeping things status quo.
“In my mind, it’s just common sense to leave everything alone,” said resident Dwayne Lesack. “We’ve been maintaining it for 30 years, I guess.”
Resident Peter Chernick said he wanted to see the green space “maintained to the current standard,” which he was confident would happen if local landowners had a mechanism to continue tending to the space.
Area Coun. Kevin Hanson moved to amend the bylaw as per administration’s recommendation, gaining the unanimous support of his colleagues.
“I think [the amendments] actually leave things as is, and the condo board [and] everybody will have a share of it and decide be able to decide how they want to carry on,” Reeve Greg Boehlke said.
Council subsequently gave three unanimous readings to a bylaw amending the Central Springbank ASP and one adopting the conceptual scheme.
