Okotoks council and administration put in some overtime Monday as the public hearing for the Tillotson development stretched into the late hours of the evening.
After more than three hours of presentations, questions and deliberations, which saw a motion to postpone and a 45-minute meeting extension, second and third readings were granted to the Tillotson Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP) and the corresponding amendment to the land use bylaw.
Though the audience waxed and waned as the night progressed, the gallery of council chambers was packed as the hearing kicked off with a presentation from Town planner Michelle Grenwich.
Grenwich told the room this NASP, which will facilitate future urban development of approximately 158 acres of land in the southwest portion of town, is the first phase of development within the West Okotoks Area Structure Plan (WOASP).
The development will include single-family, semi-detached, row and multi-family housing, as well as a neighbourhood hub and a large environmental reserve, she added. Tillotson will also contain a school site, expansion of the Okotoks cemetery, parks, playgrounds, a stormwater management facility and a new water reservoir.
At full build-out, Tillotson will accommodate 3,500 to 4,000 residents.
Throughout public consultation, including open houses and surveys, traffic has persisted as the most common concern among residents, particularly proposed closures along Westland Street. Council shared that concern during the hearing.
"Many concerns have been received from residents regarding these road closures," said Grenwich. "When council considered the West Okotoks Area Structure Plan there were concerns over the road closures, not so much the existence of the road closure, it was more on the location of the road closures and where they should be along Westland Street."
At that time, concerns varied based on where a resident lived along Westland Street, she added. However, Grenwich explained that regardless of the configuration of the proposed community, development in the west Okotoks area is bound to have an impact on traffic throughout the Town, for this reason she said developers and engineers undertook significant research in determining the best option to mitigate impacts.
"There were impacts with all of the options analyzed, however the Westland Street road closures that are proposed today continue to be the recommended approach as they represent the least negative impact to Westridge and Westmount in terms of shortcutting and traffic volumes and was the option that performed the best in terms of the broader transportation network and intersections at Big Rock Trail, Southridge Drive and Cimarron Boulevard," said Grenwich.
The passing of the plan doesn't automatically trigger the closure of Westland Street, however. The timing of the closure is far ahead and will continue to be evaluated as work progresses.
Water was also a common theme.
The plan is subject to the Town's Water Allocation Policy, which directs that proof of sufficient water be obtained by the developer prior to construction. Grenwich said part of the community can be developed without the construction of the new reservoir, though the majority will require that infrastructure to be in place prior to additional phases.
Other questions from the public surrounded density and fire risk, environmental considerations such as solar panels and xeriscaping, commercial impact on small business and more.
In the end, council came to the conclusion that all the questions had been answered.
"I'm pretty comfortable with it at this point, the community really came out for this one, I had a lot of input," said Coun. Ken Heemeryck, who moved for second and third readings of the plan. "I believe it's been answered as best as administration can answer it, I think the work has all been done. I think the sticky point for many people is the traffic analysis, they're such established neighbourhoods, it's been so long and I don't think anybody wants a congestion problem, I certainly don't.
"But taking out the crystal ball and getting that number exactly nailed down is going to be, it's something that's not possible, so I think all inclinations traffic-wise is yes, it will get busier but it's manageable and reasonable and there's many other questions that were asked and answered beyond transportation but I think overall it's a very good area structure plan."
Breaking ground is still far ahead, with next steps being subdivision approval and obtaining development permits.
The public hearing can be accessed via the Town's website. For additional information from the developer, visit tillotsonliving.ca.
