Stage two of the Sunset Ridge Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by council July 8, but not before some resistance from some councillors. The second stage of development in Sunset encompasses 119.
Stage two of the Sunset Ridge Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by council July 8, but not before some resistance from some councillors.
The second stage of development in Sunset encompasses 119.48 hectares in the northeast sector, and is to include key design features, such as open space, a pedestrian network and several amenities, including parks, environmental reserve and a future school site.
Councillors, however, questioned several aspects of the plan, one being the preservation of existing wetlands.
Candace Banack, development planner for the Town of Cochrane, said there are currently 14 wetlands in the area to be developed that have been identified as ‘low significance,’ or class one and two, degraded and unlikely to survive adjacent to development.
Banack said the wetland next to the proposed northern stormpond could be retained, as it could be fed by the stormpond. The developer would compensate for the remaining wetlands in the area.
Councillor Ross Watson voiced concern over the loss of the wetlands, saying that if the town’s goal was to preserve nature, all wetlands would be considered essential, but if development was the goal, they would not all be seen as essential.
Councillor Ivan Brooker said he believed it made sense to save wetlands that are worth saving, and questioned whether saving the one wetland next adjacent to the stormpond was simply creating a bigger stormpond.
Senior manager of planning and engineering Kathy Dietrich said saving the wetland would bring value to the community, as well as save vegetation.
Another point of contention for some councillors was the lack of a solidified off-leash dog park.
Councillors Jeff Toews and Tara McFadden expressed concern that administration could only provide possible and temporary solutions to the off-leash area.
Dietrich said during the public consultation, the community expressed a need for more amenities in the Sunset area, and that creating an off-leash area would take away one of these amenities.
“We commit to having one in the third stage, ” said Dietrich, adding that they are looking at other areas in Cochrane where an off-leash site would fit.
“This is a dog-mad town, ” said McFadden, “and it’s an amenity people want. ”
Toews was also apprehensive about what he believed to be cookie-cutter homes being built in the neighbourhood.
“I’ve been fighting against this for three years, ” Toews said.
Mayor Truper McBride said he has seen the plan significantly improved over the past two years.
“Overall, it’s a very exciting plan. ”
Willows
A land-use bylaw amendment allowing for the development of just over 11 hectares in Willows of River Heights was also approved during council’s Monday meeting, but again, not without some resistance.
A variety of housing types in the south-Cochrane neighbourhood will be developed, but councillors were wary of the fact that no visitor parking will be permitted on River Heights Drive.
“We don’t thing that this will be an issue, ” said Dietrich, pointing out that each residence will be provided two parking areas, and visitors will have to park on adjacent streets approximately 200 metres away.
The area is being geared toward pedestrians and cyclists, with a bicycle lane on River Heights Drive taking away from any street parking.
McFadden said she feels the development will be a good experiment for Cochrane, and that she’s excited to see what happens.
McBride said Cochrane is not inventing the wheel, and that several municipalities in the Calgary area have developed communities with similar designs.
Toews was the lone vote against the Willows land-use amendment.
