CANMORE – An applicant of a recently defeated appeal for employee housing in the Bow Meadows Crescent area of Canmore is looking for greater clarity on employee housing, particularly with the high need for housing in the community.
Sky McLean, the owner of Basecamp Resorts and Big Moose Realty and applicant for 100 Alpine Meadows would have added 12 employee housing units and 34 bedrooms on the second floor of a light industrial building, said the growing need for employee housing was highlighted at the hearing.
“It’s clear not just based on my opinion, but all the opinions of everybody who spoke at (the May 18) SDAB (hearing) that employee housing is important,” she said. “As some of the speakers said, no one thing is going to solve the whole problem, but every little bit counts and this was one every little bit. It’s so hard for anyone to find housing.
“We’re already under construction and underway and we would’ve been able to bring this available really quickly.”
The Town’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board refused the appeal in a three-page May 31 decision due to the need for industrial land to be protected as outlined in the Municipal Development Plan (MDP), the proposal not meeting the affordable housing goal in the MDP by enabling the units remain strictly for employees and the Indian Flats area structure plan not having a specific role for housing in the area.
“The SDAB is in agreement with the reasons provided and presented by administration to refuse the application,” the board stated in its decision.
The board specifically identified the need to “conserve and protect the limited industrial land base” and “industrial lands shall be protected from adjacent uses that could impact the continued operation of industrial uses.”
It also found the proposal “does not meet the definition of affordable housing” in the MDP since “there are no means of ensuring that the proposed residential units will be used for employee housing now or in the future.”
The appeal had been brought forward by Big Moose Developments Ltd. – also known as Basecamp Resorts – and proposed 12 second floor employee housing units to add 34 bedrooms at the 100 Alpine Meadows development.
The units wouldn’t have all belonged to Basecamp, with the intent being they are condominiumized and sold, McLean said.
Darlene Jehn, vice president of development for Big Moose Realty, said Basecamp has just under 200 employees in the Bow Valley and 10 employee housing units ranging from studios to five-bedroom units.
McLean emphasized the importance of employee housing in maintaining business operations due to the ongoing staff shortage felt in the Bow Valley.
“It’s the heartbeat of your business right now. If you don’t have housing, you don’t have staff because if you think of all the businesses that were at (May 18) SDAB (hearing), we have staff at all different pay scales coming into Canmore, starting out and wanting to get going,” she said. “It’s impossible to buy a house for less than a million dollars. It’s not financially feasible, so employee housing isn’t a temporary place, it’s a stepping stone into the community. It’s so much more than just temporary housing.
The May 18 hearing had a full chamber, with 16 people speaking and 13 letters of support but more than 30 in attendance in support of the employee housing.
The speakers spoke of the desperate need for employee housing for businesses.
Dustin Taylor, the owner of Cascade Mechanical, emphasized the importance to provide “affordability and sustainability in staff retention.”
“The reality is, right now in Canmore, most business owners are kind of burning the candles at both ends because every person has the same challenge point and the same challenge point that’s been in front of us for the last 30 years.”
Bruce Marpole, the communications manager for Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and speaking on behalf of the organization, spoke of the desperate need for staff housing to support tourism-related businesses.
“We know our business partners are finding it difficult to hire and retain staff from entry level up to management positions. … Basic housing needs cannot be met, making it difficult to recruit and retain staff,” he said.
In a letter to the editor in the June 1 edition of the Outlook, the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association raised concerns about the lack of direction and guidance being given by council to Town staff.
“We urge council to promptly review the Canmore land use bylaw in relation to housing such as that proposed in the Bow Meadows area and render guidance to administration,” wrote BOWDA chair Brian Talbot on behalf of the board of directors. “The interpretation of the Municipal Development Plan regarding both industrial and housing is in conflict and this needs to be rectified.
“We implore council to act and provide explicit, consistent, and effective guidance to the administration to solve this problem. This should include setting realistic goals and implementing strategies to achieve those objectives. Although it may not be an easy task, it is crucial to ensure that all employees in need of housing eventually have access to adequate and affordable housing.”
Town staff argued that while there is an ongoing housing crisis – with the Town’s housing action plan set to come to council June 6 – the inability to ensure such housing remained strictly for employees could lead to issues in the future.
While caveats or restrictive covenants are able to be offered, Town staff highlighted there was little in the way of enforcement to ensure it was used for employee housing. Town staff also emphasized the socio-economic concerns of having one group of workers in the community live in one section of Canmore such as in light industrial, and others areas more designed for residential.
“All residents, regardless of their socio-economic status deserve the opportunity to have the same quality of life that would be afforded to them if they were in a residential area,” said Lauren Miller, the Town’s manager of planning and development, at the May 18 hearing.
The SDAB decision also stated the 1994 Indian Flats ASP was designed to “provide for an area which allows for a range of industrial activities that will be compatible with adjacent land uses” and the ASP has no guidelines for housing.
It added residential use was inconsistent since “residential uses are not limited to housing for employees” and the impact from “industrial uses are potentially significant” as well as possibly impacting future industrial use in the area.
The decision is the latest in multiple attempts by Canmore businesses to add employee housing in the light industrial area of Bow Meadows Crescent.
SDAB had previously agreed with an appeal for employee housing at 127 Bow Meadows Crescent. They ruled employee housing would have little impact on light industrial and a caveat on the land title was also added to ensure employee housing would be the specific use.
The Canmore Planning Commission also approved 12 employee housing units in May 2022 for 121 Bow Meadows Crescent.
The area has seen a growing contention between businesses and the Town as multiple applications have come in for employee housing in the Bow Meadows Crescent area.
SDAB is a quasi-judicial board appointed by council. The decision can be appealed with the Court of King’s Bench under Section 688 of the Municipal Government Act.
McLean and Jehn said they’re looking at next steps, but are hopeful of providing employee housing.
“At least clarity will help, but if the answer’s no it would be the same heartbreaking feeling,” McLean said.
“We know how desperate everyone is for housing and that there’s not just one project that’s going to solve the whole crisis, so to me, this is a sustainable way of doing it because it’s not common industrial uses end up on the second floor of an industrial building. People don’t put a carpentry shop on the second floor. … I really hope that moving forwards there can be employee housing allowed on the second floor of all industrial and commercial uses.”
CLARIFICATION: The original article had Darlene Jehn's title incorrectly stated. The Outlook apologizes for the error and the article has since been updated.
