Town councillors were concerned with a number of issues presented to them as part of the Stage 2 Sunset Ridge Neighbourhood Plan during the May 13 council session at the Cochrane RancheHouse.
The plan, which was submitted by Brown and Associated Planning Group, on behalf of Sunset Properties, outlined the proposed infrastructure, facilities and concepts to be taken into consideration for future development in the area.
The 295.2 acres of land under consideration, located in the northeast sector of Cochrane, have previously been used for cultivation and grazing. Currently, the parcel of property is zoned as urban reserve.
The neighbourhood plan, presented by development planner Candace Banack, proposed a community with a mix of residential units to appeal to a variety of income levels, with a density of 8.06 units per acre and designated open space — but no off-leash dog park.
“Are people supposed to jump in their cars, and head up and down the hill to take their dog out?” said councillor Jeff Toews, whose concerns were met with agreement from Ivan Davies and Ross Watson. “Isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid?”
Kathy Dietrich, senior manager of planning and engineering services with the town, explained that positioning of an off-leash dog park can be controversial, but was something town staff had looked into.
“You have to have it in the right location and it has to be the right size,” she said.
To fit in the dog park, the municipal reserve would lose other amenities, she added, like the proposed skating rink or baseball diamond. The lands associated with the Stage 2 plans contain 14 wetlands, said Banack, each of which underwent a technical review and were found to be insignificant. Accordingly, the plan proposed the wetlands be developed with the developer paying compensation to the province.
In lieu of the wetlands, which Banack said were found to be irreparably damaged by the grazing and trampling of cattle, the developer has agreed to naturalize stormwater ponds in the area that may be more attractive to waterfowl.
Mayor Truper McBride and his fellow councillors were concerned that this solution wasn’t the correct one. He said there isn’t clear framework on how to deal with the classification and conservation of wetlands.
“I’m disappointed we haven’t been able to properly preserve the wetlands — this is our chance to do just that,” said Tara McFadden, supporting the sentiments of McBride.
“I just don’t think our population is being well-served by this design — although it is close.”
Everyone associated with the plan has been struggling with what to do with the wetlands, explained Dietrich.
“Our own policies conflict with each other and are open for interpretation,” she said.
“At the end of the day, we’d have to change our goals in terms of population density, housing options… We’d never achieve development goals if we preserved each wetland.”
The plan will be back in council chambers in July.
