The development of a large industrial campus in Balzac will move forward after a series of approvals by Rocky View County council.
Council approved site-specific amendments to a direct control bylaw and approved a conceptual scheme for the Interlink Logistics Park during its regular meeting Oct 22. The development, said planner Andrea Bryden, will be located at the northwest junction of Dwight McLellan Trail and 144 Avenue within the Balzac Area Structure Plan (ASP), immediately north of Calgary.
"The value of business like [Interlink Logistics Park] – businesses and busines parks – is immense to the County, to keep our diversification of our assessment base," Reeve Greg Boehlke said. "We welcome business, we welcome residential, and the business part of our assessment has really enabled us to keep a steady tax rate and a low tax rate for our residential."
According to Bryden, the conceptual scheme will guide the development of the industrial business park, with the intent of building a campus-style facility – comprised of large, warehouse-style buildings – with a focus on logistics distribution in the heart of the Balzac commercial area.
Meanwhile, the amendments allow nine new uses on the subject lands, including auctioneering services, automotive services, health-care services, religious assembly and mini storage. These uses are all compatible with other uses in the direct control district, she said.
“When the [direct control] amendments were brought for first reading [Sept. 10], council removed the use ‘child care,’” Bryden noted.
At that time, Coun. Kevin Hanson tried to remove “cannabis facility” as a use, as well, but his motion was not supported by council.
The amendments also increase site coverage from 40 per cent to 55 per cent. According to administration’s report, “allowing for an increase in site coverage is not uncommon in the Balzac area, given the market demand for large-scale logistics buildings in a campus setting.”
Area Coun. Daniel Henn moved second reading of the bylaw, which carried 8-1 – Coun. Kevin Hanson voted in opposition.
He immediately moved an amendment to strike “cannabis facility” from the list of permitted uses, “purely on the basis of highest and best use of land.”
“We’ll get zero tax revenue, virtually, for all intents and purposes, out of a prime logistics park location,” he said. “I just think it’s at cross-purposes to this whole plan…. There’s better locations for low-rent districts for such a use.”
Hanson’s amendment carried 5-4, with Deputy Reeve Al Schule and Couns. Mark Kamachi, Kim McKylor and Henn opposed. Council then unanimously granted third reading to the amended redesignation application, as well as second and third reading to the conceptual scheme.
Subsequently, a subdivision application for the development was unanimously approved. According to Bryden, the subdivision split the subject land into three parcels – a 45.13-acre parcel, a 22.08-acre parcel and a 60.61-acre remainder.
“Given that the lands propose large-scale, warehouse-style development and that [the bylaw] does not include a minimum parcel size, further subdivision is unlikely,” she said. “Therefore, administration recommends that [Transportation Off-Site Levy] and [Municipal Reserve] be collected at this time.”
According to the conceptual scheme, the final building and parking configuration will be determined during the development permit stage.
