The 68 page-document detailing how to revitalize Bragg Creek was unanimously approved at recent Rocky View County (RVC) meeting.
“The potential for this little community is enormous,” exclaimed Liz Breakey, RVC Coun. and committee member for the Bragg Creek Design Review.
“The community is engaged and they are willing to do the work.”
On Dec. 8, the county agreed with the plan that focused on three main community goals including; retaining the Bragg Character, the unique and social identity of the hamlet, connecting the community through greater physical and social channels, and building a thriving economy, possibly through policy amendments that enhance business, create enhanced public spaces and increase hamlet recreation opportunities.
The project was launched in January and throughout the course of the year, collaborative efforts with the Bragg Creek community has helped RVC administration identify common issues of interest and develop clear priorities for action, explained senior RVC planner Amy Zaluski.
“The plan outlines a series of actions to revitalize the hamlet that focuses on the public realm improvement,” Zaluski said. “It will be an on-going thing. There are about thirty actions right now with preparing design guidelines at the top of the list.”
The original hamlet plan was over 20 years old due to lack of servicing options and the ground-water contamination, Breakey explained. It was not until after the 2013 flood when Bragg Creek lost the majority of businesses and a revitalization plan was looked into.
“The hamlet was hit hard and now there are some great opportunities,” Zaluski said.
The plan needed water and wastewater services, which were recently provided by the county, and riverbank protection, just approved by the province.
“We weren’t going to get any development until it was a safe community again and that is just starting,” Breakey explained.
As with any small community, Breakey said there are diverse opinions over the project.
“We do have this one quite vocal group who doesn’t want to see the changes, but the vast majority of them do, I believe,” Breakey said. “People are deeply invested in turning the community around and rebuilding it and regenerating it – my sense is, there are a number of people, for whatever reasons are concerned about change and we need to work with them to make sure they are not adversely impacted.”
The revitalization plan is a compilation of what locals asked for, after a year of engagement with the community via online surveys and online comment boards, community office hours, a stakeholder workshop, a three-day design event and three interactive workshops and open houses.
“This plan is based entirely on input from the community over a period of a year,” Breakey explained. “Anyone who wanted to have their say, had their say.”
With the recent approval of the plan, the committee is moving forward to implement the actions, starting with the creation of an implementation committee to cover the suggestions of hamlet residents.
Plan initiatives will be announced as they arrive through 2016.
To learn more about the Bragg Creek Revitalization Plan go to www.rockyview.ca/BuildingPlanning/PlansUnderReview/BraggCreekRevitalizationPlan.aspx.
With notes from Jessi Gowan/Rocky View Publishing
