The East End community may soon include a "one stop shop" medical centre.
A public hearing will kick off Monday night town council on June 24, providing an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their support or concerns for the redesignation of 316 First Street East from its current R-2X zoning to central business district (CB). Council rezoned two adjacent parcels at 308 and 312 First Street East to CB in 2017.
Providing the redesignation goes through, applicant Urban DevPro Inc. intends to move ahead with an application for a complex that would include a medical walk-in clinic, pharmacy and travel clinic, dental and orthodontics, diagnostics, chiropractic physiotherapy, optometry, consult offices, nutrition consultation, laser skin treatment and a fitness centre, according to a letter of intent penned by Tahir Rafiq of Urban DevPro. There are also plans to include a coffee/deli shop and on-site parking.
Igor Visser, president of the Cochrane Settlement (East End) Community Association, said there is mix of support and concern for the proposed health centre.
"Most people are in favour of it ... they like the idea of a clinic and a coffee shop you can just walk to," said Visser. "There have been a few concerns about this particular application (though)."
Visser explained that the former landowner also had a vision to put up a medical centre on the site. After getting much of the community on board, there was a concern when the property was then sold and purchased by Urban DevPro Inc.
Visser said at this point, the community is looking for reassurances that the developer is not going to simply gain community favour, only to sell the property off for profit.
"Somebody actually build something ... what we see is property after property getting rezoned and then just flipping it," said Visser, who will be bringing forward concerns over the dwindling R-2X zoning that is unique in the East End. The zoning is to allow for higher density four-plex units, which seem to be "getting whittled away" as downtown spills its way into the community.
The health establishment would be the collaboration of four physicians – husband/wife couples – with a vision to provide "a destination and a concept that encourages collaboration for the benefit of patient, as well as family convenience." The letter of intent notes the current inconvenience for seniors having to travel to Calgary to get diagnostics done.
"Once the property is rezoned to Central Business District, a development permit can then be applied for any of the listed uses in the district," explained Riley Welden, planning manager for the Town of Cochrane. "This is where administration reviews the proposal against the regulations of the land use bylaw – things like parking, setbacks, landscaping, signage and building height. Once a development permit is issued the applicants apply for a building permit, and once that is issued they can begin construction."
Learn more at cochrane.ca.
