Decision made on the Bearspaw development application

Rocky View County (RVC) voted to reject the Bearspaw development application on Thursday at a special meeting.

A unanimous 7-0 vote rejected the application of a new development in the Bearspaw area, according to the Highmark development group's plan.

On January 26, the RVC administration presented the proposed development, which would span 275 acres and be made up of 883 residential dwellings, with 50 acres going toward commercial use.

The proposed site was located southwest of Airdrie at the corner of Highway 1A and 12-mile Coulee Road.

During the Thursday gathering, the council reviewed video submissions expressing the opinions of RVC residents regarding the proposed development. On January 26, at the council meeting, residents provided in-person comments, with many expressing their dissatisfaction with the proposed plan.

Concerns were voiced by residents regarding school overcrowding, busy roads, safety issues, and infrastructure challenges, including water treatment and sewage. During the January 26 meeting, Steve Lilly, a founding member of the Protect Bearspaw group, urged both the council and attendees to contemplate the impact of these issues on the lifestyle of the residents.

“Imagine the quiet night sky, the country roads, the nature, the trails, the privacy, the security and the peacefulness of the countryside. Something many worked hard to obtain and opted out of the city lifestyle for; imagine a 50-acre shopping mall and high-density housing and ask yourself - is this good planning? Does this make sense?"

Many residents stated how they live out in the county for the lifestyle of being away from the city, the plan would have brought the city to them.

The county also received over 100 letters from residents who were opposed to the development.

At the end of the meeting on Thursday, County Reeve, Crystal Kissel stated that RVC council agreed to sell a country lifestyle and that RVC are not the city.

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