The Town of Turner Valley is taking the final steps to close a public road that’s been barred since 2015 in a process that’s taken 11 years. At its Nov. 19 meeting, Turner Valley Town council passed first reading for its road closure bylaw to close 1.72 hectares of Imperial Drive from the Turner Valley Golf Club clubhouse west to the Diamond Valley Villas. A public hearing is scheduled for council’s Dec. 17 meeting before the bylaw is sent to Alberta Transportation for review and approval. The bylaw will then come before council for second and third reading in 2019. Gerry Melenka, Turner Valley planning and development co-ordinator, said this is the second time the bylaw has come before council. “A road closure bylaw was prepared back in 2006, approved by Alberta Transportation and given third reading back in 2007, however for whatever reason the road closure bylaw was never registered at Land Titles back in the day,” he said. “We planned on registering the old bylaw last fall after I started, however the requirements of the Land Titles now, versus back in 2007/08, has since changed and they now require a road closure plan, prepared by a surveyor, as opposed to the less formal plan approved back in the day.” The bylaw stated closure was to occur once an alternate road was built from the Royalite subdivision to either 16 Avenue, Decalta Road or 8 Street SE. In 2008, the Town entered into a land exchange agreement with the golf club and Kana Gateway Developments Ltd. to accommodate a land use redesignation, close a portion of Imperial Drive between the golf club and Diamond Valley Villas, consolidate lots between the town and golf club and create an emergency vehicle access between Imperial Drive east of the villas and the north end of the Royalite subdivision. “The Town owns all the lands that are subject to the proposed road closure bylaw,” said Melenka. “The majority of the land involved in the road closure is to become property of the golf course and the Town is to acquire golf course lands west of Royalite Way where the new pathway system is along the ridge between the villas and Royalite.” Action wasn’t taken until 2013, when the June flood eroded the banks of the Sheep River just north of Imperial Drive, deeming a portion of it unsafe for travel. The Town received government funding to build an alternate road south of the subdivision to 16th Avenue. The project was complete in 2015. Melenka said the eroded bank prevents the Town from carrying out the portion of the agreement that requires emergency access between the villas and Royalite subdivision. “The flood of 2013 changed the dynamics quite a bit and the ability for a secondary access was somewhat eroded,” he said. “We don’t have a policy in town that requires secondary access for a subdivision of any magnitude to fall on.” Melenka said he’s not concerned about that portion of the agreement not being met. “The closure of portions of Imperial Drive as proposed does not restrict emergency vehicle access to any of these areas,” he said. “Emergency vehicles are able to access both the golf course and the residential developments along Royalite Way and Imperial Drive via the existing road system.” The approval of the bylaw will have no direct impact on the public as the road is already closed east and west of the Royalite subdivision, Melenka said. “The surface of the road west of Royalite Way is removed and in its place is the extension of the golf course and a paved pathway system,” he said. “As per the land exchange agreement the golf course will be responsible for determining what happens with the portion of road closure east of Royalite Way.” Melenka said the road is currently gated on both ends and has not been used for vehicular traffic for three years. At last month’s meeting, Coun. Garry Raab told council he’s never agreed with the road closure from the start. “I can understand closing it from Imperial to the condos, that road is gone, there’s no sense hanging on to that one, but the other way going east from Royalite Way to the golf course I would like to see that part open in the wintertime when no golfers are playing,” he said.
