Couns. Morgan Nagel and Alex Reed are looking to reduce residential density targets.
The pair will be jointly presenting a motion at the next council meeting on Jan. 22, seeking options from administration to bring the density targets down from its current goal of eight to 10 units per acre target.
“People elected me to slow down develop and improve traffic,” said Nagel, adding that he has grown tired of the looming threat that voluntary subscription to recommended density targets is on the brink of legislation.
He and Reed feel strongly that Cochrane needs to get in front of the issue and change the direction in which the town is headed and to pare down that big number of 9,505 houses on the books under the current density targets – with the ability to possibly affect at least the areas that have yet to be given subdivision approval.
On top of the 9,505, there are an additional potential 2,433 dwellings included in future communities under review, including Greystone, Southbow Landing, the Summit of River Heights and Rivercrest.
“Density has always been optional … I went through an entire four-year term with the threat of legislation that is yet to go through,” said Nagel.
Reed said he would prefer to see high-density options within communities, rather than a blanket prescription of density targets resulting in a lesser quality housing product that he feels has negatively driven the look and feel of newer communities in Cochrane – making reference to a recent radio skit where he listened to jokes about Fireside as “the ghetto of Cochrane” in relation to a residential theft that had occurred.
It is anticipated once the Calgary Metropolitan Growth Management Board is established, municipalities will retain less planning independence and the pair of councillors want to get ahead of this. Regulations for the new board came into effect on Jan. 1 and an interim plan is currently under development.
“Currently, the Town of Cochrane density targets are part of our Municipal Development Plan, as well as the town signed onto the Calgary Metropolitan Plan, which included those density targets as shared philosophy for all members of the Calgary Regional Partnership,” explained Stacey Loe, manager of legislative services for the town.
Loe added that it is too preliminary to determine whether density targets will be identified in the board’s interim plan.
