The Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County (RVC) councils have agreed to the terms of reference on how to best utilize the grounds of the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society.
The two councils are developing the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society Concept Plan, a joint venture that will outline a vision for the 145-acre parcel, which is located within town boundaries, is owned by RVC and leased by the Ag Society.
Workshops that included input from the town, county and Ag Society were held in October 2012 in an effort to gather ideas and principles from all parties involved.
At that time, Brian Birchall, president of the Ag Society board, said that an informal area concept plan would eventually be developed.
“What we’re embarking on is really the result of a number of informal discussions that the Ag Society has had with both the town and the county,” said Birchall, indicating that talks had spanned the course of several months.
During Cochrane council’s Feb. 11 meeting, approval of several terms of reference, which were established during the workshops, were given the go-ahead. Some of the terms include the plan’s objective, the scope of the project, the process by which the concept plan will be developed, how it will be managed, stakeholder involvement and, ultimately, its implementation.
RVC council and the Ag Society had both agreed to the terms of reference by the time they were presented to town council.
Members at the Ag Society have expressed a keen interest in expanding and developing their facilities, Drew Hyndman, municipal planner for RVC, explained to county council during their Feb. 4 meeting.
He said because the land is located in a strategic location, between two major highways, it provides a “unique situation” for future development and the three groups want to participate in a joint planning project to include a comprehensive analysis of the property and potential future development opportunities.
RVC councillor Margaret Bahcheli asked if there was any indication at this point what the county would like to see developed on the land.
Hyndman, said currently plans are wide open and range from talk of looking into collaborative partnerships, such as with Olds College or the University of Calgary veterinary department, to housing a hotel or creating cultural and western heritage.
The cost of the conceptual scheme is estimated at $75,000, a cost to be shared equally by all three parties.
The final draft of the concept plan is expected to be before Cochrane council this summer, with action plans being prepared by project partners by the fall of 2013.
With files from Sylvia Cole/Rocky View Weekly
