Editor: It is not too late to get involved and provide input into the new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) proposed for Canmore.
No plan is all good, or all bad, and this one is no exception; there will always be those who agree and those who disagree with certain aspects. The fact is the Town has no alternative – it is required by law to put out a plan, and, therefore, everyone should take a serious look at the plan and provide feedback to the Town.
Although the Town has put a good facade on encouraging public input to the plan, the input period was primarily during the summer months when many were away, or concentrating on a federal election. First reading is scheduled for a scant few weeks from now in October, so read the plan at www.canmore.ca/mdp/ and provide your input. The online survey costs the Town for every response, so to reduce expenses you can send a reply directly to one of the plans architects, Tracy Woitenko.
I purchased a Canmore condominium in 1997 because I had recreated in the area for many years and wanted to continue mountain climbing, hiking, cross country and downhill skiing, mountain biking and camping in an area that was largely pristine with plenty of respect for wildlife and the environment.
I chose a quiet site with a beautiful view of the mountains. My neighbours and I each contributed $5,000 for development of a paved walking/biking trail behind our development – such was the Canmore of 18 years ago. The proposed MDP allows for existing established neighbourhoods such as mine to be opened up for additional development, destroying the views and atmosphere that make us a community.
Contrary to recent assertions by public officials, the actual wording of the draft MDP makes it clear that all developable space: Municipal Reserves, parks, municipal owned lands and swappable provincially owned lands will be fair game for development. You can say goodbye to that piece of green space down your street, as well as a parking space at the curb.
As a community, we must be cautious not to have a new MDP that will require existing neighbourhoods to sacrifice the views, green spaces and environment which people had assumed was theirs when they bought their properties. The draft MDP serves to divide our community and could drastically change the nature of our communities by having new homes and/or higher densities jammed into existing neighbourhoods.
If the Town must expand as foreseen in the MDP (which is not a given), there appears to be plenty of Three Sisters Mountain Village raw land available for development, which could accommodate entry-level homes, as well as luxury mansions, if the developers are so inclined. I can’t imagine the Town could possibly accommodate more canines than are presently crowding the streets and trails, but that is another story.
Doreen Ronaghan,
Canmore
