MD OF BIGHORN – While the project is still in its early stages, the Municipal District of Bighorn council received more information on the potential Exshaw Mountain Gateway Project.
Jason Hoerle, the landowner and developer along with his wife, provided council with an update on June 14 on the progress of plans. The project is planned for the north and east side of Exshaw, with between 25 and 40 lots available.
The parcel of land for the project was purchased in December 2018 from a family who owned the parcel for decades. The parcel covers 87 acres, 11.3 of which are in the hamlet boundary.
“The vision and the dream started in December 2018,” Hoerle said. “January 2018, we started researching all the documents that define the uses and what can be applied for in the area.”
Two open houses were also held: one in June 2019, and the other in March 2022.
“Both events were well-attended,” Hoerle said. “Good public input, questions and answers from both sides.”
The project is divided into two phases. Phase one covers the eastern portion of the parcel and would accommodate a variety of land uses. Phase two is on steeper land, to the north and north-west area.
A 968-page area structure plan (ASP) document will be available on June 30, 2022. A public hearing on the ASP should be held in August 2022. By October, the subdivision plan will be submitted. In January, tree grubbing, and land development will start, followed by home building in late-summer 2023.
Reeve Lisa Rosvold asked what type of development would be involved in phase one.
“It is a residential subdivision area. It would be a combination of single-family homes, with suites, duplex lots and two multi-family lots,” Hoerle said. “We want to hit all those price points and hit market demand for different levels in the Bow Valley. We feel like we are putting out a project that has a number of price points that way.”
Lots will be purchased by buyers, who will then select their home builder.
“We would be putting in the utilities, sidewalks,” Hoerle said. “I would liken it to River’s Bend in Dead Man’s Flats with the same type of concept.”
Due to the area being low-lying, there will be back-filling to the 100-year flood plain. It would be raised to the current berm that was built in 2015.
“It makes people more comfortable; it almost acts like a super berm because we would be back-filling five acres of land there,” Hoerle said. “The town would be very protected from overland water flooding.”
Asked how much the development would increase the population of the MD, Hoerle stated it could be as many as 130 people.
“If townhouses, single family suite is filled, could be 130 people total that way,” he said. “Another component we will add to the ASP is the economic impact of 130 people.”
