COCHRANE, Alta. – As the tentacles of Canada’s fastest growing city spread into the Municipal District of Rocky View, the farming community did not realize what was coming until the squeeze was almost unbearable.
From the mid-1990s onward, Calgary’s geographic and economic attractions drew people from all over. Large country residences sprang up seemingly overnight, small towns doubled in size and eager developers eyed the million acres that the municipality controlled.
“I do not believe we were prepared for what that growth really meant,” Rocky View municipal planner Lori Pesowski said at a recent low
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impact development conference in Cochrane.
The rural municipality’s planning department staff doubled to 50 from 25 and council grappled with the pressures of exponential growth on infrastructure needs and demands for a higher level of community service.
Council and municipal staff have been struggling with a growth management strategy for the last three years, not because they do not want to develop a plan but because of other pressing demands.
“Our resources are being tied up with growth. Also, it is being tied up with preparing the stage for the development that is coming
to us,” she said.
“We have never seen growth in Rocky
View as we have now.”
The local authorities have learned to recognize that senior government and the development industry can be partners rather than problems. They also struggle with keeping residents informed about new plans to avoid community uprisings over growth. People built in the district for the lifestyle and residents need to be involved rather than having further developments thrust on them, said Pesowski.
Cochrane
Maintaining a western heritage and small town atmosphere is an ongoing challenge for Cochrane, 20 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
Population growth has ranged from two to 31 percent a year since 1979. In the 1990s Cochrane was the fastest growing town in Canada, and in 2006,14,500 people called it home.
Growth means annexations. The town has a land supply for 25,000 after 3,300 acres were added in the last annexation agreement. Further annexations are coming in 10 years.
The growth also encouraged the town to form joint planning agreements with the MD of Rocky View. Together they are discussing water treatment, storm sewers, revenue sharing and recreation facilities, said Frank Wesseling of the town’s planning department.
Debt is a major problem. Money needs to be collected before projects start and taxpayers insist the town be careful with capital investment. That is creating pressure for town planners and developers over who should shoulder costs for projects while still offering affordable and environ-mentally sustainable housing projects along the Bow River and
on fragile foothills.
Airdrie
Sustaining Airdrie’s individuality as a city 15 kilometres north of
Calgary is a daily challenge.
“We are not trying to build North Calgary,” said Jeff Green of Airdrie’s planning department.
The small city would prefer to create a place where people not only sleep at night but work during the day, but the reality is that 60 to 70 percent of its residents commute each day for Calgary.
Airdrie has experienced about 7.5 percent annual growth and has about 30,000 people.
City officials are overwhelmed with building permit applications and land annexation proposals. The city absorbs 200 to 300 acres of land per year to handle growth.
“The pressure is to stay on top of demand while trying to find time to reflect on how it should be done,” Green said.
One way to handle growth is to increase density from seven units to nine units per acre. Streets are narrower than average and the speed limit is 30 km-h.
City council also bought a park area for recreation, a storm pond, tree nursery and greenhouses to add green space.
