Okotoks council gave the final seal of approval to its West Okotoks Area Structure Plan.
The west Okotoks area is comprised of 428.6 hectares of land bordered by Westland Street to the east, Highway 7 to the south, Big Rock Trail and the Sheep River to the north and 16 Street West to the west, following the Town boundaries since annexation in 2017.
It also includes a natural wetland currently on the land and indicates space for three school sites, a potential high school site, commercial centres, medium-high density residential areas, and a diverse range of housing types and neighbourhood parks, as well as possible expansion of the current cemetery on the west side of Westland Street.
“The intent is to implement a new area structure plan for the southwest lands within the relatively-newly-annexed areas of the town, as well as replace the Sandstone Springs Area Structure Plan, which covers a portion of that area, that was previously in place under the MD of Foothills – now Foothills County,” said Colin Gainer, senior planner for the Town of Okotoks.
Council gave first and second readings to the bylaw to approve the area structure plan after a public hearing on Jan. 27, but the plan had to be taken before the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) for review and approval prior to receiving third reading.
On Feb. 20, the West Okotoks Area Structure Plan (WOASP) was submitted to the CMRB to be considered by all member municipalities under the new regional evaluation framework.
It was reviewed by CMRB staff and third-party consultant ISL Engineering and Land Services, and recommended for approval by the board on March 24, commencing a 28-day review period that ended on April 21 with no objections received.
“The area structure plan has been seemed approved by CMRB and we did get written confirmation to that extent,” said Gainer.
Coun. Tanya Thorn said it was interesting to see the plan go through the CMRB, and how the new review process worked. The review resulted in a delay of four to six weeks, which she said the Town will have to consider for future initiatives.
Overall, she said it’s exciting to see the WOASP go forward.
“I know the West Okotoks Area Structure Plan has been in the works in a variety of forms for a long time, so I think this will be an exciting move forward in our community,” said Thorn. “It will be interesting to see what their plans will be in the months and years to come.”
Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca
