The Mountain View County municipal planning commission has approved a development permit for an existing aggregate extraction gravel pit near Sundre. The approval came during the commission's recent regularly scheduled board meeting.
The pit in question is located at NE. 24-33-5-5 in the Eagle Hill/Westward Ho community adjacent to Twp. Rd. 334 and Rge. Rd. 50.
The gravel pit at the site has been in existence for many years. The applicant applied for the permit to bring it into line with current requirements for an aggregate extraction district.
“The applicant has mentioned that the total amount to be extracted annually is 5,000 tons, but the actual total amount will be contingent on market demand,” administration said in a briefing note to the committee.
“There will be no wet excavation or aggregate washing on site. The applicant mentions there will be gravel trucks and a loader loading the gravel and delivery to farms in the Sundre area.”
The approved permit has 24 conditions, including the following:
• Prior to the issuance of the permit, the applicant and landowner shall enter into a gravel haul route agreement/road use agreement with MVC which will confirm that the haul route is east of Twp. Rd. 334 then south on Rge. Rd. 50 until Highway 27.
• Future expansion or intensification of the gravel pit beyond 4.99 hectares will require a new development permit and approval from Alberta Environment.
• Regular hours of operation for the gravel pit including stripping and stockpiling, aggregate extraction, loading, hauling and truck traffic (this does not include crushing activity) shall be Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No operation of the pit shall occur on Sundays or statutory holidays.
• Should the applicant, landowner and/or operator wish to crush gravel within the pit within the hours specified in (the previous condition) the operator shall obtain and submit to MVC written consent from the majority of adjacent landowners within a half mile of the subject property prior to any crushing activity.
The commission also approved a second related development permit for High Task Construction, an existing company, to operate at the gravel pit site.
The business-contactors permit will allow equipment storage at the location. Equipment would include those pieces used for trenching, excavating, lease building and pipeline remediation.
“The property contains an existing gravel pit which obtained rezoning on Aug. 26,” administration said. “Some of the equipment mentioned within this application for a contactors business shall be used within the development of the gravel pit.
“The contractors business is located within agricultural zoned area on the subject property, however it should be noted that the contractors business being applied for within this application facilitate the open application for an aggregate extraction approval.”
No additional buildings are being applied for under the new permit, with equipment being stored in the existing yard site and dispatch area.
