A revised proposal for a large residential development in Foothills County continues to face opposition despite being much smaller than what was originally planned.
Walton, a land investment and development group, plans to submit a revised Oxbow Area Structure Plan to Foothills County. The plan area, about 20 kilometres northeast of Okotoks, is bordered by Dunbow Road to the south and by 88 Street to the west.
An open house about the revised proposal was held by the developer at the Davisburg Community Hall on May 7.
The concept plan incorporates changes made after an earlier proposal was denied by Foothills County in a 4-3 vote following a lengthy public hearing last year.
Mike Coldwell, planner/principal with Urban Systems, a consultant working with the developer, said resubmitting the plan is part of a lengthy process.
“We would be very happy if we're back in front of council for another public hearing this year,” Coldwell said.
In the new plan, one of the biggest changes is a nearly 50 per cent reduction in the area boundary, reduced from more than 1,200 acres to 640 acres.
The size was reduced to comply with Calgary Metropolitan Region Board policies for hamlet growth areas, Coldwell said.
Where the previous plan called for up to 4,000 housing units, the revision includes about 2,300.
The concept calls for primarily single-family residential housing, with other land dedicated for commercial, multi-family and mixed-use space.
The reduced size means the timeline for full build out is 15 to 20 years, compared to 30 years in the prior plan.
“It's plus or minus about five years per stage, so instead of six stages, we have four,” Caldwell said.
The first stage would include about 500 homes and a mixed-use area in the northeast corner of the plan area.
New studies have been done to go along with the changes, including a traffic impact assessment and flood modelling, Coldwell said.
Flood protection was a concern when the last plan was proposed, and the revision uses one-in-200-year flood modelling instead of one-in-100-year modelling that is mandated by the Province.
Heather Mills, who lives near the plan area, said she’s worried about the magnitude of the project. Mills said the proposal would harm the quiet community atmosphere and would stress roads, water and other infrastructure in the area.
“I don’t think they’ve still done enough research on it,” Mills said.
Although some land is dedicated to schools, that won’t help ease classroom congestion in the near-term, she said.
“Those schools may take 30 years before they ever get developed here,” she said. “Our schools are at capacity. Where are they going to put all these kids that need to go to school?”
Paul Howarth, another nearby resident, said although he’s more open-minded to development than most, he’s still against the proposal.
“It's going to destroy our rural community,” Howarth said. ““The reason why people have properties out here is to be out of that kind of urban environment.”
Howarth said the open house was poorly advertised and consultations have been "abysmal."
He's started a Facebook group called Foothills Stop Oxbow to raise awareness of the project.
The plan is “just not something that is going to be a benefit to anybody that resides in this area,” he said.
The new application seeks approval for 640 acres, but the developer may move ahead with future development on the remaining land through a new ASP application or by amending the existing plan, said information available at the open house.
The developer is hosting a virtual open house on Thursday, May 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. Register to receive the Zoom link at oxbowASP.eventbrite.ca.
