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Commercial development at standstill as water dispute simmers

The fight between Okotoks and Wind Walk has put a neighbouring business park proposal and it’s own plans for water at a standstill.

The fight between Okotoks and Wind Walk has put a neighbouring business park proposal and it’s own plans for water at a standstill.

The developer of a business park, located directly across from the Wind Walk site, is waiting to hear whether the provincial government will approve Wind Walk’s groundwater license before applying for one of their own.

MD council voted unanimously on Aug. 29 to give the developer John Fraser, owner of Gold Medal Development Ltd., a one year extension get approval of a water source.

Coun. Ted Mills said the ongoing dispute over a water source for Wind Walk has held up final approval for the Gold Medal development.

“Until that’s done there’s nothing that can be done with those wells,” he said.

Plans for the business park, at the site of the Country Living store at the intersection of Highway 7 and 2A, call for nine lots for retail and offices. The development was to use groundwater wells and the Town and developer have discussed the extension of wastewater services to the Gold Medal site at the developer’s cost. No agreement has been reached at this point.

The area is zoned direct control and it has received subdivision approval from MD council.

Kristi Beunder, planning consultant for the development, she said they can meet all conditions of the approval, with the exception of one – a water license and council’s decision gives them more time.

She said they want to see whether Wind Walk is successful before proceeding with their own application.

“Our fear is that we’re going to be in the same expensive process that Wind Walk is in today,” she said.

Developer John Fraser said there is no point in submitting a water license application to the provincial government until the issues over Wind Walk’s water license are resolved.

“We’re more or less ready to go but water is a key issue,” he said. “It’s not that we don’t have water, we have oodles of water, but it’s this argument between Wind Walk and the Town and we’re caught in the middle.”

Fraser said he believes there would not be any problems with their water wells.

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