MD OF BIGHORN – A contentious development expected to add between 32-57 lots to the quaint hamlet of Exshaw was adopted by MD of Bighorn council.
The ninth version of an area structure plan (ASP) for Exshaw Mountain Gateway (EMG) passed third reading of council June 13, after four years of back and forth between the municipality and developers.
“I am in support of the motion. I do feel like the changes that we have seen, that were presented and discussed today do reflect changes or concerns that were brought up from council and from public hearings,” said MD of Bighorn Reeve Lisa Rosvold.
“I do think this version is the best that we’ve gotten. Nothing’s ever going to be a home run, but I really do feel that this ASP has heard the community and has heard from council.”
The ASP restricts developers Jason Hoerle and Lindsey Vivers to their owned parcel of approximately 88.8 hectares of undeveloped land, partly within and outside the hamlet’s boundary.
The plan, which seeks to develop the north and east side of Exshaw, involves building 25-30 single detached and duplex dwellings east of Pigeon Mountain Drive as part of its largest development area at the toe of Exshaw Mountain.
The development area above will feature six to 12 larger lots and houses, subject to future engineering work and market analysis, expected to be higher in price due to ridge views of the valley and additional costs associated with road construction, servicing and potential retaining walls.
The landowners also intend to develop one large lot for a single detached dwelling on the slopes of Exshaw Mountain with driveway access from a new road that would be built for the ridge lots.
The development is expected to add another 100-150 people to Exshaw’s current population of about 450, according to the 2021 census.
For planning purposes, including forecasting traffic, water and sewage impacts, the maximum estimated EMG population was rounded to 150.
Coun. Jen Smith, who was solely opposed to adopting the ASP, questioned whether the hamlet’s roads and infrastructure, including sewage and water supply would be able to handle the jump in residents, especially without a cap on low-density property secondary suites.
She expressed concern about all EMG lots being zoned to allow for secondary suites.
The MD has a 30 per cent cap on short-term rentals in the community, such as Airbnbs, but there is no cap on secondary residential suites rented long-term.
Concerns of traffic congestion and road width came up 29 times in public hearing submissions throughout development planning, Smith noted.
“Twenty-nine times the public has inquired, making sure that we have nice wide roads, so we don’t have to worry about fire trucks, snowplows,” she said.
“I know that since I’ve sat on council, we have dealt with road width and road capacity, parking on the road, plows not being able to get down – even though the road width can accommodate a snowplow – it can’t once you have too many vehicles parked on the street.”
An earlier draft of the ASP proposed to reduce the amount of stormwater capture, new roads would be designed with a slightly narrower width similar to residential roads in Dead Man’s Flats. However, the ASP was revised to base road construction on the MD’s Standards for Subdivision Servicing, which requires all residential roads have a minimum width of 9.5 metres to provide room for snow storage and emergency response.
Wayne Shanks, interim director of planning and development services with the MD, said it is hard to predict exact density of the project and how many new dwellings will establish long-term rentals, or how many vehicles each residence will own, but he told council that planning takes growth into account.
“We’re not going to design anything that’s not going to be able to accommodate future population,” he said. “We have a general idea through the ASP, which again, is a living document. If all of a sudden trends start showing that more and more people want to create secondary suites, then that may impact things.”
Shanks said if the population greatly increases through the development of secondary suites, that is when the MD would need to look at revising the ASP.
“If the population does go to 200, then we would be looking at making an amendment to the ASP and to what’s required for future road work.”
Shanks reminded council the MD is also planning upgrades to the hamlet’s sanitary system and intersections at Highway 1A to address population growth.
The MD is currently awaiting approval of provincial funding to assist with an upgrade of the Exshaw wastewater treatment lagoon to increase the hamlet’s sewage capacity.
The MD of Bighorn has stated the planned treatment system upgrades will provide enough capacity for EMG as well as other growth occurring in Exshaw, according to the ASP.
Shanks added the ASP also aligns with public feedback received by the MD, indicating a preference for low-density development. It would also address some of the demand for housing in the broader Bow Valley real estate market, with all proposed homes designed to accommodate families at the direction of the MD's Municipal Development Plan.
“What we’re looking at trying to provide for is permanent accommodation for more families to come into the community. I think that’s what the intent of the ASP is,” he said.
First reading of the ASP passed in September 2020 and second reading passed in January 2023. Two public hearings were held in October and November 2022 for the ASP, MDP and land use bylaw.
In its last meeting, council also approved amendments to the MDP and land use bylaw.
The MDP amendment extends the boundary of the hamlet to include the developable areas within the EMG property and the land use bylaw changes the future land use from rural conservation to residential specifically within the extended boundary area.
To date, area assessments have included geotechnical evaluations, traffic impact studies, water analysis, sanitary and stormwater assessments, along with a phase one environmental evaluation.
Corvidae Environmental Consulting Inc. was hired early in the design process to conduct an extensive review of impacts on area vegetation and wildlife, including the installation of wildlife cameras for three months for monitoring purposes.
Initially, there were uncertainties around the future viability and potential development of the mountain lot. However, subsequent documentation has provided clarifications regarding its prospects and suitability for development.
Prior to any development of the mountain lot, an environmental survey will be undertaken to identify any whitebark or limber pine locations and ensure their protection, according to the ASP.
In terms of wildlife, Corvidae identified four key species, including black bears, grizzly bears, cougars and bighorn sheep.
Monitoring found no evidence of grizzlies and determined EMG lands are not especially suited as grizzly habitat or recognized as important as a movement corridor, although grizzlies do move through Exshaw. There was also no evidence of cougars, though they are also known to travel through the hamlet area.
Smith, who lives near the EMG lands, said she disagrees with the findings, noting a mama grizzly and her cubs which frequented her yard last year.
“The concerns that came forward from residents on the movement of animals through this area is quite significant and is worth noting,” she said.
Field investigations and camera evidence revealed that black bears frequent the area, specifically the eastern portion of the EMG lands and the northern edge of existing developed areas. This behaviour is likely due to human attractants, such as fruit trees and other enticing items, according to Corvidae. Their investigation concluded that the EMG lands do not serve as highly valuable habitat or as a significant movement corridor for bears.
Bighorn sheep do use the slopes of Exshaw Mountain as habitat, the report noted, but the proposed EMG ridge lots are at the lower edge of key bighorn sheep habitat.
To minimize adverse effects on wildlife, including birds, Dark Sky lighting principles will be followed throughout development, according to the ASP.
The plan also specifies minimal fencing on the EMG ridge lots and mountain lot to facilitate wildlife movement, except where necessary for small food gardens or to mitigate rock fall hazards identified in geotechnical assessments.
Rosvold, who agreed with Smith that some of the wording in the ASP’s environmental data was “hard to interpret,” said there will also be more opportunity to discuss wildlife moving through Exshaw at further stages of development.
“I have seen and witnessed and heard of lots of animal movement through Exshaw in particular,” she said. “When we get to the subdivision stage, there is an opportunity to discuss preventing fruit tree growth and removing other animal attractants, so that [wildlife] can still move through Exshaw, but not look for a place to call home.
“I think that’s something that as a community, everybody needs to get a little bit better at, is helping to provide that free movement but also discouraging a place for them to stop.”
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
