Five residential lots back directly onto the proposed site for FrancoSud’s new secondary school. The 4.5-acre parcel, located at 136 Quigley Dr., is being considered for a 4,600-square-metre school building, with a 15-metre setback from neighbouring homes.
Among the adjacent property owners is Pam Stephens, a long-time resident of West Terrace.
“They don't seem to see there's a problem,” she said. “There are many things we’ve raised with both the school board and town council about the location of the school.”
Stephens believes the green space is better left undeveloped because of its value to the community.
“This is the only green space of this size in West Valley, West Terrace and West Pointe,” she said. “There are five parks total across the three communities—four are playgrounds, then there’s this green space. It’s a highly utilized field by various groups. I’m looking out at kids from the Francophone school right now playing on it.”
She is also concerned about possible infrastructure changes that could follow the school’s construction.
“Does the need for emergency accessibility mean we’re going to have a concrete road behind our fence to access the back of the school?” she asked. “What’s the impact of this school when the whole community has to be evacuated? The roadways clog up from all the schools—trust me.”
Stephens researched traffic volumes and cited a recent Alberta Transportation study that found westbound traffic on Quigley Drive averaged 11,363 vehicles per day.
“You can’t tell me there’s not going to be a traffic impact,” she said. “I was just outside this morning and saw 12 vehicles drop off students in the gravel lot behind my house—not in the school lot. This is in addition to the school buses and all the parents dropping off children.”
Stephens is also troubled by the proposed 15-metre setback, saying a two-storey building would give people unwarranted sightlines to their homes.
“They’re going to be staring right into the five residences,” she said. “We’re going to have a lack of privacy.”
She also worries about a loss of natural light. She cited a case from the U.K. in which a nearby building reduced sunlight in a neighbouring home by 45 per cent.
“In the wintertime, there’s already a lack of light,” she said. “The sun rises much later. We already have light pollution from the existing school, and this will add more.”
Stephens said she and the four other homeowners oppose the current plan, partly due to fears of future expansion.
“How is that going to play out? Are they going to say, ‘Oh well, now we have 350 students to accommodate,’ and start putting in portables again? Where will they expand?”
While some of Stephens’ concerns are specific to her location, others—like traffic congestion—were echoed by residents during a public information session hosted by FrancoSud earlier this month.
See related article: Public calls for exploration of site near St. Timothy High School
Feedback on the proposal has been mixed. While some residents oppose the site, others support it. One point of agreement: Cochrane needs more schools.
“We’re not against them having a high school,” said Stephens. “They absolutely deserve one. All we’re saying is that there are other locations they can consider.”
During the information session, some attendees suggested exploring a site near St. Timothy High School—an idea FrancoSud has acknowledged. This comes ahead of the school board’s public hearing at Cochrane RancheHouse on June 16.
