Canmore council voted unanimously against considering an amendment to the Three Sisters Mountain Village resort centre area structure plan on Tuesday night (May 2), sending a strong message to the developer that the vision it was proposing didn’t jive with what elected officials see as the future of development for that area.
The application by Three Sisters representatives with QuantumPlace would have amended the 2004 approved ASP, a development planning document that sets out development potential and vision for a particular area.
Changes TSMV were proposing included removing the golf course as a recreational amenity from the area, expanding areas where commercial development for the resort centre would occur, as well as visitor accommodation and residential units, all of which were in line with approvals set out in the 1992 Natural Resources Conservation Board decision and 1998 settlement agreement.
It was a complex application and decision for council to consider and was made at the same time as TSMV submitted a brand new ASP for the Smith Creek lands, which stretch all the way to Dead Man’s Flats. Those development processes were happening in tandem with Alberta Environment and Parks’ approval process for the final wildlife corridor that TSMV is required to designate on its lands adjacent to the Smith Creek area.
Council expected to consider the Smith Creek and the Resort Centre applications together, but last week Alberta Environment and Parks issued a statement that it would need another four to eight weeks to complete that process.
As a result, TSMV postponed consideration of the Smith Creek ASP and, as Mayor John Borrowman said at the beginning of the council meeting, that was disappointing because the preference for everyone was to consider both applications at the same time.
“This isn’t how I would prefer to see things play out, but we will muddle through here tonight and see where it leaves us,” said the mayor.
Michael Fark, general manager of municipal infrastructure, recommended council give the ASP amendment first reading. He said first reading initiates several processes, including a public hearing, which would be helpful for council in considering the application.
That includes an official request the Town of Canmore has made to the provincial government for clarity on how changes proposed by TSMV for what used to be golf course lands would affect functioning of the adjacent wildlife corridor and what was deemed its “effective width” after the corridor was adjusted in 2002.
“Administration is of the position that we have a number of outstanding questions for the province that we are seeking,” Fark said. “(First reading) would allow us to request that information formally and we are of the opinion that council, the public and the applicant would benefit from the clarity should the province have the opportunity to answer those questions.”
There was also a recently completed third party review of the environmental impact statement TSMV’s consultant Golder prepared for the application, which challenged how the developer was analyzing impacts of development on wildlife movement. Golder responded to the third party review before first reading, and Fark told council both consultants would be present for the public hearing to discuss their findings and answer questions of council.
But, as it turned out, there was very little appetite by council to even give the ASP amendment first reading. Elected officials voted unanimously against first reading, with Mayor Borrowman stating what has been presented to them does not reflect the vision he has for future development of Canmore on TSMV lands.
The mayor said the application to amend the Resort Core ASP includes substantial changes and he is not of the opinion those changes are beneficial to the community at this time.
“I will not be supporting first reading,” he said. “It is my job to represent what I feel is the greatest benefit to the community. I would prefer at this time to see the resort core area structure plan developer as per the 2004 approved plan. I think it would bring great benefit to our community.
“As that area develops, or builds, it could be that there would be a request further down the line for an expansion, because I see this as an expansion.”
The mayor made it clear he was not suggesting development in TSMV should stop. He said he supports future development on Three Sisters lands, but added the proposed changes being put forward did not have enough merit for first reading.
Other councillors echoed the mayor’s concerns, with Councillor Sean Krausert saying he has no appetite for the level of development being proposed on the golf course. Krausert said from his perspective, the debate in the community around the development proposal came down to the level of risk people were comfortable with.
“One of the things I have seen is very smart professional people disagreeing on environmental issues and what I came to determine is the thing that most differentiated those individuals was their tolerance for risk,” he said.
