A development plan consisting of about 2,100 residential units north of Okotoks has been defeated.
The application for the Foothills Landing Area Structure Plan was unanimously refused by Foothills County councillors during their meeting on Oct. 9.
Developers anticipated that Foothills Landing, on about 470 acres near the junction of highways 2 and 2A, would have housed 5,700 people upon full build-out.
Coun. Allan Alger represents the area and said that although the proposal is in a designated growth area, he was inundated with concerns from residents.
“This application has fired up an area like I have never seen,” Alger said.
Reeve Delilah Miller said that although the proposal is good, the biggest issue is the project's high housing density.
“This isn't what Foothills County wants for developments within the central growth area,” Miller said. “I hear that again and again (from residents).”
Speaking before a vote was taken, Deputy Reeve Don Waldorf said Foothills County, like many other places, faces a lack of housing.
Alger said that residential construction in places like Okotoks, where condominiums and townhomes are going up, will help with some of the area’s housing issues.
“I choose to protect the rural integrity of the area,” Alger said.
Foothills Landing proposed a mix of housing types, including single-family, semi-detached and attached housing, and multi-family buildings, along with commercial and retail space.
Developers said it would include housing types for first-time buyers and people looking to downsize.
Proposed densities ranged from three to five units per acre in low-density areas, up to 21 units per acre in high-density areas.
Residential housing densities need to comply with minimum density requirements from the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB), and Foothills Landing meets the requirements, but the County feels those densities are too high for the area.
“With the CMRB, unfortunately, we're being dictated to,” Miller said.
During a public hearing for the project in September, the landowner said that farming in the area, where density is already increasing, is a challenge and housing should be concentrated to conserve farmland elsewhere in the County.
Several dozen residents spoke against the proposal at the hearing, listing concerns such as traffic and loss of rural character.
