Parks Canada is considering a resubmitted and slightly altered project by Sunshine Village to develop a new Goat’s Eye Lodge.
The project has gone back for consideration after approval in November last year, the approval of which CEO Dave Riley said included restrictive conditions in relation to wastewater treatment and Parks Canada’s standards.
“It took us a little by surprise because the wastewater treatment plant proposed exceeded federal and provincial guidelines for treatment, but it did not meet Banff National Park targets they have created themselves,” Riley said.
The standards, and in particular the Mountain Parks Leadership Standards for phosphorous levels at a wastewater treatment plant proposed as part of the development, were costly to achieve, said Riley.
“It set us back in terms of time and finances,” he said. “Because of our ability to digest that kind of expense we have proposed to phase the day lodge in two phases.
“We are still committed to removing those ATCO trailers and putting in a first class mid-mountain day lodge.”
Sunshine and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) originally appealed the approval earlier this year, but then withdrew after Parks determined the review would take place in federal court.
The changes proposed and submitted for review include reconfiguration of the project from one building to two – a day lodge and a ski school – to be constructed over two years and upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant.
“Parks Canada has determined that the uses, total square footage and capacity of this new proposal are consistent with what was previously approved, so an Advisory Development Board (ADB) meeting is not required. Sunshine Village was informed that an amended Environmental Impact Analysis will be required, after which the project may proceed to building permit review,” wrote superintendent Dave McDonough in an email to the Outlook. “All of the conditions associated with the previous development permit approval will remain in place.”
The day lodge was planned as a three-storey, 3,300-square-metre building that would replace several ATCO trailers and a spring tent that have been on site since 2007.
Riley said the new project has a different design and phased approach after the original permit with conditions for water treatment stymied the original one.
“It did kill essentially what we proposed, but at the end of the day we are going to have a great facility; we will just have to approach it differently now,” he said.
