Notes
Editor:
Last week’s Outlook contained a letter to the editor which expressed concerns of citizens in response to a proposed rezoning of the Urban Reserve areas in Quarry Pines within the Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood.
This followed Quantum Place Developments’ Sept. 6 open house at Elevation Place, as well as notices that appeared in the Peaks of Grassi, to the surprise of all but three landowners who recently purchased three “Urban Reserve (UR)” parcels of land from TSMV.
There are many communities in Canmore that contain large and small pockets of land which are zoned “UR.” Because this most imminent proposed rezoning relates to UR lands, which are privately owned, and because these lands are in an area well known for habitat sensitivity and density of people, this issue has struck a chord among a growing number of citizens in Canmore.
Concerned citizens have raised many concerns and questions over the past week regarding this matter. These relate to Canmore’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and to other background documents that inform decisions made in our community (BCEAG 1999, 2012, Wildlife Corridor and Habitat Patch Guidelines for the Bow Valley; Golder 2013, Three Sisters EIS Report; Heuer, Lee 2010, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Technical Report #9).
Specific concerns relate to:
1. Canmore’s Growth Management Strategy,
2. Human-Wildlife conflicts and
3. Processes for community consultation and stability
1. Canmore’s Growth Management Strategy:
A review of Canmore’s MDP indicates our residential growth management system, in the short term at least, is intended to “favour residential development in Future Growth Areas rather than infill and redevelopment in existing areas” and that “the majority of new residential development in Canmore under the town-wide residential quota will be accommodated by the growth commitments for Future Growth Areas,” adding “there will be little room for new infill and redevelopment activity during this short-term stage while still adhering to the Town-wide residential quota and the six per cent population growth objective.”
Given the current positive economic climate, it seems likely that Canmore is well positioned to meet the MDP’s six per cent population growth objective without premature re-development of existing residential neighbourhoods. Concerned citizens are asking Canmore’s current council to stay true to its MDP commitment and are asking how council (rather than developers) is informing and involving Canmore’s citizens with respect to potential rezoning of UR lands, particularly those that are owned by private developers.
We are seeking to understand why lands were originally placed in UR and what has now changed and we also want assurances from council that decisions made about whether or not to rezone reflect and keep paramount what is best for the community, rather than what is best for developers. We are asking what additional requirements council will require in order to determine the suitability or lack of suitability for development of these lands, which have been held in reserve for many years.
2. Wildlife-human conflict:
Concerns about the proximity of the proposed development to the Quarry Lake Habitat Patch relate to recent data (Golder, March, 2013), which has demonstrated that “the increasing mix of wildlife and people has driven increasing (human-wildlife) conflict.” Important to note is that the majority of wildlife-human conflicts (65 per cent) in Canmore occur only in two developed areas. The Peaks of Grassi has now been identified as one of the largest “conflict hotspots” within our town’s urban boundaries (Golder, 2013). It’s important to note that construction in Peaks of Grassi occurred in the late 1990s through early 2000s, prior to collection of grizzly bear GPS telemetry data.”
Bear encounters are becoming more frequent as human density and use increases in and adjacent to the proposed development area. Evidence shows that there is a six per cent annual increase in human traffic, on identified and unidentified trails, and this translates into a doubling of human use every seven to eight years (Golder, 2013).
It is predicted that this trend will lead to decreased habitat effectiveness and increased human-wildlife conflict, particularly because of the high number of grizzly bears which frequent the Peaks of Grassi development and the Quarry Lake Habitat Patch (Golder, 2013). The immediacy of this concern was clearly illustrated in this summer’s near tragic incident when a tourist encountered a bear in the area directly adjacent to the proposed re-zoning. This resulted in area closure and a bear trap being set within the area that is proposed for re-zoning.
The “conservation value” of this land has recently been rated “very high” (Heuer, Lee, 2010). At the same time, the “conservation urgency” was rated as only “medium.” The rationale for this lower rating was that the land is “currently zoned as UR; however legal agreement says maximum number of developable units in Peaks of Grassi (has) already (been) achieved.”
Given the very high conservation value of this UR land and the prior understanding that the maximum number of developable units has been achieved in Peaks of Grassi and, given the new research on buffer zones adjacent to habitat patches, concerned citizens are seeking assurances that council will:
stay true to the MDP commitment of a “first priority” of “maintaining the quality of this natural mountain environment within our town’s boundary”
stay true to the objective of preserving and protecting the “ system of environmentally sensitive areas which include viable wildlife corridors and habitat areas for carnivores, ungulates, birds, and other wildlife.”
3. Community stability and consultation:
The proposed rezoning has resulted in strong concerns being expressed by neighbours and citizens within Canmore. Citizens are concerned about the implications of the proposed rezoning in relation the key objectives of growth and development in Canmore’s MDP, which include:
“to maintain the general character and stability of established residential areas while allowing for a limited amount of higher density infill residential development and redevelopment in selected appropriate locations” and to
“to minimize the stresses that residential growth has on the Town’s valued physical and human fabric.”
Canmore’s MDP states that, “existing residential areas not specifically identified as Future Planning Areas in this MDP should be protected from premature land use changes that could have a disruptive impact on the existing community fabric.”
Many residents who live in and around the Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood have identified intense disruption in our normally peaceful community as a result of this surprise proposed rezoning. Concerns voiced in the community include:
detrimental overall impact on this community that already has concerns as a result of already high density
human and wildlife safety concerns as a result of increased human-wildlife conflict
diminished sense of community trust amongst long-time neighbours as well as a diminished sense of trust for certain past and current Canmore realtors, developers and lawyers as well as for town representatives who provided advice to home buyers at time of purchase.
All Canmore citizens should be highly concerned and seeking answers from Canmore council to questions such as the following:
What assurances can residents of Canmore have that Canmore’s current council will promote and invite consultation and facilitate the involvement of all citizens in land use and development issues that affect their local communities, particularly with respect to proposed rezoning of privately owned UR in existing residential developments?
How is Town council and Town administration encouraging and considering citizens' input regarding important decisions about proposed zoning changes to UR lands which clearly affect the fabric of established communities?
All committed and concerned residents of Canmore and of this amazing Bow Valley need to share their concerns with council members regarding this highly significant issue as it relates to community/wildlife stewardship and to encouraging and maintaining community trust in this mountain town we are all proud to call home.
Mavis Wheatcroft and Patrick Plichon,
Canmore,
Representing a large and growing group of concerned Canmore citizens
