County land annexed by MD of Bighorn

Rocky View County Council Briefs: From the July 31 meeting

Rocky View County is a little bit smaller, after council unanimously approved the annexation of 67 acres at the County’s west edge by the MD of Bighorn.

The boundary adjustment allows for the MD’s maintenance and management of 300 metres of Township Road 252 near Highway 68, which provides access to roughly 15 to 20 Bighorn residences and was previously located within two parcels of County-owned land.

As the road is used mostly by Bighorn residents, Rocky View staff said makes sense for the MD to have jurisdiction.

“It’s just a small boundary adjustment to correct a road issue,” said Rocky View Reeve Rolly Ashdown. “It’s not really anything more than that.”

The annexation has been in the works since March 2011 and public hearings were held in May and November to answer any questions County and MD residents may have about the matter.

Bearspaw Emergency Services Centre

Council unanimously approved a $6,060,000 budget adjustment to allow for the construction of the Bearspaw Emergency Services Centre and purchase of fire vehicles.

Rocky View Municipal Planner Drew Hyndman said the exact cost of the project will not be known until the County has received bids from developers. He added the number is based on 2010 pricing for the construction of the Elbow Valley fire station.

“Once we have concluded the tendering process, we’ll have a better picture,” he said.

Hyndman said the money is expected to be recovered through Municipal Sustainability Initiative grant funding from the Province.

Council struck a formal agreement with RockPointe Church for the acquisition of church lands, located at the intersection of Highway 1A and Lochend Road, for the centre’s construction on July 3.

The County hopes to have the centre up and running by the end of 2013, as the City of Calgary will no longer provide fire services after the current year’s contract expires on July 1 of next year.

Crossfield Rezoning

Despite the recommendation of County staff, council unanimously approved a request by a Crossfield area landowner to rezone a 3.95-acre parcel.

The parcel, which is located roughly five kilometres east of Crossfield on Township Road 290, currently contains a house, water well and accessory buildings. Landowner Bill Dunbar said he plans to subdivide the property and build an additional house for his son.

Xin Deng of the County’s development planning department recommended that council refuse the application because the land is located in an area heavily rooted in farm production.

“Further subdivision is not supported as this is a predominantly agricultural area where residential development is not encouraged,” she said. “This application is not consistent with municipal policies.”

Staff did not receive any letters opposing the application, as Dunbar said the subdivision would not affect any neighbouring landowners.

“No objections were received by our neighbours, either written or verbal, because no other farmland is impacted by this,” he said. “I realize this is against policy, but I am asking council for a variance to this and for approval.”

Councillor Greg Boehlke made a motion council approve the application.

“I am going to go against staff’s recommendation,” said Boehlke. “The area residents obviously don’t see this as a negative thing. If there was an issue, I believe it would have been addressed. I live very close to this and I know if there had been an issue, there are people there who would have made it known.”

Deputy Reeve Margaret Bahcheli agreed that the subdivision would not impact agricultural production, as the property is used solely for residential purposes.

“This is not taking away from agricultural land,” she said. “It’s maintaining (the land) exactly the same way as (it was) when they started.”

The matter will be brought back for subdivision approval at a later date.