Editor:
I attended the open house that QuantumDevelpoments hosted on Sept. 6, on behalf of three investors. They propose to have a four acre Urban Reserve in the Peaks of Grassi rezoned for residential housing.
The input that residents provided was made public in your newspaper in the vox populi on Sept. 11. In the article as well as at the open house, some people suggested that “ this was a done deal” that only needs to be “rubberstamped” by our council.
Jessica Karpat, on behalf of the investors, stated that “It is an infill development and pretty typical of something that can occur anywhere else in Canmore.” The agents for the investors made it look as if it is routine to have lands designated as Urban Reserves be converted into residential lots in a neighbourhood that has been fully built up for a number of years and was started over 16 years ago.
I have not come across any other Urban Reserves in Canmore that have been rezoned for housing development. If the Peaks Urban Reserve rezoning is approved by council, which other Urban Reserves throughout Canmore will be rezoned in the future? Maybe this is what the developers’ representative referred to when she stated “This is innovative for Canmore.”
The Peaks is a well-established tight-knit community. We care about the character that these undisturbed treed areas give to our neighbourhood as well as to the adjacent power line area, where many other Canmore residents recreate and walk their dogs. These treed lots give us some reprieve from the otherwise heavily dense neighbourhood.
We also care about the effect these proposed 19 new homes, adding 38 per cent more density to the block, will have on the already squished unofficial wildlife corridor adjacent to Quarry Lake and the power lines. Last week there were five bear sightings in the Peaks/Quarry Lake area.
The developers’ representatives have publicly stated that “this is pretty typical of something that can happen anywhere else in Canmore.” Canmore residents, if you don’t care for this type of “innovation,” where Urban Reserves are rezoned into residential lots, make your voice heard by council and other neighbours. There is nothing “typical,” or routine, in the proposal for development that was presented at the open house.
Our council was elected and serves our residents because they care about our community. Make your views known to them, write them, phone them and attend the public meeting to oppose this “typical” proposal, when it is presented to council. In my opinion, this kind of “innovation” is not needed in our community.
Blanca Cervi,
Peaks of Grassi resident
