DEAD MAN’S FLATS – The MD of Bighorn wants to know where and how much public parking should be added in Dead Man’s Flats.
A survey of hamlet residents asks whether there is enough parking in the commercial area of Dead Man’s Flats, whether overnight parking should be allowed and if paid parking should be implemented within the commercial area.
The MD survey is a response to several concerns from residents over a lack of public parking spaces, primarily associated with existing visitor accommodation developments along 2nd Ave.
“These concerns also expressed that the existing visitor accommodation developments did not have enough parking to address additional guest vehicles or oversized vehicles that do not fit within the underground parking garage,” said the MD’s new director of planning and development Hayley Gavin.
“There appears to be some challenges with overflow parking for the existing visitor accommodation (hotel) developments within the hamlet and there is overall limited public parking availability within the hamlet.”
A public hearing in September 2023 that addressed plans to redistrict two undeveloped lots on 2nd Ave. from highway commercial to commercial mixed-use designation, also included a proposal to close a section of the road to make way for future development. It was met with nine resident letters worried any further development will exacerbate existing parking shortages in the area.
Some letters mentioned Copperstone Resort, located on 2nd Ave., has “serious parking issues.”
The resort is made up of about 100 short-term visitor and flexible units and was proposed in two phases, with the second phase on the neighbouring property offering additional parking that could be used by phase one. The second phase, however, was not developed.
According to Copperstone’s website, each suite includes one parking space, clearance for underground parkade is seven feet tall, and “overflow parking is also available.”
Much of that overflow parking was occurring on the adjacent property, which has since been sold to another developer to become a separate 107-unit visitor accommodation known as Sparrowhawk Lodge. That project is currently under construction and will include 150 below- and above-ground parking spots when complete, but does not account for additional parking for Copperstone.
The MD previously rejected a proposal from Copperstone in November 2022 to construct and manage 31 additional angled parking stalls on the 3rd Ave. loop road right-of-way to address shortages. The MD ultimately rejected the proposal due to concerns private parking on the public road would be legally challenging to enforce and set development expectations for future projects.
The area is mostly comprised of highway commercial district, much of which has been or is being proposed to become commercial mixed-used district. The latter encourages a mix of commercial, residential, office and other uses for residents and visitors. Development is meant to be “compact” and have a “street-oriented” and pedestrian-friendly design.
“The Dead Man’s Flats commercial mixed-use district is a fairly new land use zoning and as such, there are several developments of this type currently undergoing the permitting and redistricting process that have not yet been fully built out,” said Gavin.
“The commercial area of Dead Man’s Flats is experiencing significant redevelopment, which could add to the existing public parking issues experienced by residents and the public at large.”
As one measure to address parking shortages, in August 2022, Bighorn council approved an amendment to its land use bylaw to increase the allowed number of parking stalls for visitor, resort and flexible accommodations. The previous requirement allowed one stall per accommodation, while the amendment allows one stall per one-bedroom unit, and each additional bedroom allows another half a stall.
The MD is also currently undergoing a 2nd Ave. improvement study in Dead Man’s Flats with the purpose of identifying streetscape improvements and phasing plan. The plan includes a three-metre multi-use path on the south side of 2nd Ave, a sidewalk on the north side, marked crosswalks, street lighting and would also add about 14 parking stalls along the roadway.
“We already see that there are parking challenges happening along 2nd Ave., and as that area continues to develop, we want to ensure that the development have enough parking to support all of its visitors and guests,” said Reeve Lisa Rosvold.
“But we also know there’s gonna be a need to have some overflow parking just in general, so we’re looking for some potential solutions that the public would like to see around public parking. We’ve noticed there’s more and more visitors coming to Dead Man’s Flats – some of them just come here to go for a walk, some are coming to use hotels or Airbnbs. Overall, the use of Dead Man’s Flats for recreation is increasing.”
The MD sent out over 500 surveys to landowners, including condo owners, in the hamlet, which had a population of about 377 in 2021.
The survey period opened Feb. 6 and was extended past its initial closing date of Feb. 29 given the amount of interest received. So far, the MD has collected over 140 responses. The new closing date is March 10 and the survey will provide preliminary input for the MD to consider to address parking issues in the community.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
