Residents concerned about a proposed land use change in Peaks of Grassi are petitioning against the application for development.
Mike MacInnis, who lives in the subdivision, said residents are concerned about the added density in the neighbourhood and effects on wildlife.
MacInnis said the area is already fully developed as per a 1998 settlement agreement between the municipality and Three Sisters Resorts that capped residential units.
“The Peaks since 1998 was considered to be a built-out community and when you go back and you look at the 1998 settlement agreement between the Town of Canmore and Three Sisters, there was an agreement that Peaks of Grassi would be comprised of 404 units,” MacInnis said.
“There is agreement with the Town and residents that there are 404 units now, either built or serviced in the Peaks, and when a lot of people bought here they were told that most likely these lands would never be built on because the Peaks had reached buildout.”
He said residents believe the agreement was important at the time and there is no reason to change what was agreed upon.
While there is an agreement, development planner Tracy Woitenko explained as per the Municipal Government Act, the application to change the three parcels of urban reserve to a residential use under the Land Use Bylaw must be processed and considered by council.
“We as planners and municipalities are bound by regulations under the Municipal Government Act, so when we receive applications we are bound to undertake the process,” she said.
Furthermore, Woitenko said, past council agreements are considered ultra vires, so basically council is not bound by it and must consider the application.
QuantumPlace Developments was hired by the three new owners of the land to make the application and held an open house earlier this summer for community input. Since then, it has made the application to the Town and administration is reviewing it.
“We have also submitted it to Environment and Sustainable Resource Development for review in relation to wildlife and are compiling those comments to give back to the applicant,” Woitenko said. “The intention is to have it ready for first reading in November.”
After first reading a public hearing will be scheduled.
MacInnis said the group of concerned residents he is part of has 200 members so far and 500 to 600 signatures on a petition.
“People are obviously concerned we are chewing up four more acres of land in an area that already has very significant human use issues and even the Town recognizes that through the formation of a human use committee,” he said, adding the land is a pinch point for animal movement in the area.
“What we are doing here is adding 25 more homes and it is a small piece of land … if you look at it in the context of the entire Three Sisters lands and functionality of the landscape working for both humans and wildlife and we know people and development are stressing animals, our concern is it would put more people on the landscape when we probably need to stop.”
A direct control district is being proposed for the parcels and only residential uses considered. It is four acres in size and 25 units are proposed. A portion of one lot, which wraps around the back yard of several current residences, is proposed as a buffer area so all new units would front onto Lawrence Grassi Ridge and no new roads would be needed.
Go to www.peaksofgrassi.com for more details about the land use application and www.canmore.ca/Municipal-Services/Planning-Building-Development/Land-Use-and-Development-in-the-Peaks-of-Grassi.html for history and background of the development and its land use.
