Rocky View County is looking for public input in the development plan for Springbank over the next month via virtual coffee chats, a survey, and written comments.
The Springbank Area Structure Plans (ASPs) outline the vision for the future development of Springbank and provide council with an overall strategy when considering land use changes, subdivision, and development.
Feedback on the north and south ASPs will be collected through a series of virtual coffee chat sessions. These sessions will start off with a brief overview of the project, followed by a group discussion on issues shared with participants prior to the session.
Multiple one-hour long sessions will be made available via Microsoft Teams, between March 30 and April 14, and other platform options will be considered.
“We have chosen to start with virtual sessions at this time; however, we are open to accommodating in-person requests. As well, we will be advertising for an in-person event in the community in late April to add to our engagement opportunities,” stated Jessica Anderson, RVC’s policy supervisor.
Two other ways to share feedback with the County are through a survey currently available on the RVC’s website – rockyview.ca – or by emailing comments to [email protected] by May 13.
Feedback will form an Engagement Summary Report to help administration refine the current draft plans prior to a public hearing, slated for later this year.
Revisions include aligning the ASPs with regional and municipal statutory and non-statutory plans, and replacing the two current draft ASPs with one single plan. The revisions also include reviewing previous amendments and inserting policy and land use strategy amendments to reduce intermunicipal conflict and landowner concerns.
Anderson stated that an ASP does not predict the rate of development within the plan area; ultimately, growth is determined by market demand, which reflects the overall economic climate of the region.
Currently, there are three existing ASPs in the Springbank area, which were all adopted over 15 years ago. To address continued growth and changing conditions, the ASP review process is intended to result in an up-to-date plan.
The ASPs created over the past four years were rejected in July 2021 by the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). According to the County, this rejection was despite a CMRB administration recommendation of approval and a third-party review which found them compliant with the Interim Growth Plan.
(The CMRB is a government corporation made up of elected officials from the Calgary Metropolitan Region’s 10 member municipalities, whose approval is required in future developments).
The County stated online that some Springbank residents did not feel heard when presenting their comment on the final drafts, which RVC apologized for.
“In reviewing the [feedback] material, we found concerns/questions on the proposed population/density goals, how the area would be serviced, possible transportation impacts, and how the special planning areas would be managed,” Anderson said. “The purpose of our current engagement efforts is to confirm what revisions are desired and how those might be considered in the draft ASPs.”
Refinements to the draft plans will ensure they better align with community opinion and with regional planning policy.
Along with new plans and studies adopted since the original ASPs were adopted, the review process included important matters, such as community identity, conservation, land use, housing options, economic development, local services, amenities, and infrastructure. The review also considered whether or not to combine the three current Springbank ASPs into one.
To register for one of the virtual coffee chat sessions, RSVP to [email protected] or call 403-520-3922 with a preferred date and time.
Written comments, alongside contact information, can also be sent to [email protected].
