Tanya Foubert CANMORE
The Town of Canmore will negotiate with two homeowners along Cougar Creek to purchase their lots after they suffered the most damage of any home affected by the 2013 flood.
The two lots are located side-by-side on Grotto Road and both single family homes that stood there have been demolished due to damage caused by debris and water in Cougar Creek three years ago.
At its meeting in August, Canmore council voted unanimously to direct administration to begin a negotiation process to purchase the lots, as recommended by manager of engineering Andy Esarte.
Esarte explained the recommendation to purchase the lots is a result of the fact that a recommended steep creek hazard policy would effectively prohibit the owners from rebuilding until long term mitigation is in place, which could take years.
“The steep creek policy generally prohibits development in high hazard areas,” he said. “This (recommendation to purchase) is a result of creating a policy that captures the cost of development in high hazard areas up front and does not pass the cost on to future generations of homeowners and governments.
“The policy impacts lands in high hazard zones … including two properties along Cougar Creek that were completely destroyed after the flood and we are recommending council direct administration to offer to purchase them.”
The estimated price to purchase the parcels along Cougar Creek is $830,000, according to the staff report.
Mayor John Borrowman supported the motion and spoke to the fact that as a municipality, the Town of Canmore has a far better understanding today of the hazards and risks along Cougar Creek than before the flood.
“It is likely those homes would not be permitted to be built today because we have a much better understanding of the hazard and risk in Cougar Creek, so it is reasonable to have a policy to not redevelop a home in this situation,” he said. “I support the fairness intended to purchase the lots at the assessed value.”
The steep creek policy has not yet been approved by council, but Esarte said during the presentation that the recommendation came out of a concern about fairness to the landowners who own property in a high hazard area.
An additional three vacant lots in Cougar Creek are also affected, however, administration did not recommend purchasing them from the owners unless mitigation on the steep creek does not proceed in the next 18 months.
“We recommend no action be taken be taken with these other parcels at this time,” Esarte said.
Esarte recommended the municipality hold the parcels as assets until the proposed debris flood retention structure in Cougar Creek is completed as part of the long-term mitigation strategy.
The steep creek policy, in addition to affecting vacant lots, may also change the future developability of homes in Cougar Creek if they were to be destroyed by a fire, for example.
Development planner Tracy Woitenko said if the policy and the Municipal Development Plan are approved by council, planning would then begin working on Land Use Bylaw amendments that would result. Within that discussion would be the details of how a home in a high risk debris flood zone would be affected by the policy if it were to be damaged in a fire for example.
The MDP is still awaiting third reading from council. It is expected to return for that decision in September.
