The Mountain View County (MVC) municipal planning commission has approved a development permit for a riding arena northwest of Didsbury designed to help sick kids and people with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
The move came during the commission’s recent regularly scheduled meeting in council chambers.
The property involved is located in the Westerdale rural neighbourhood. The $200,000 project will see a 10,000-square-foot indoor riding arena constructed at SE 34-31-2-5.
“The applicant is intending to run a business – Surefooted Inc. – which will provide classes to assist with skills development and personal growth with the help of horses for individuals with PTSD, more specifically first responders, and to work with children with chronic illnesses and their families,” administration said in a briefing note to the commission.
“The business will also include equine dental services onsite and may possibly offer riding lessons or horse boarding on a very small scale.”
A new indoor riding arena is proposed and there will be parking at the south end of the arena, members heard.
“For the purposes of this business, there will be two employees and two or three business vehicles. “Other equipment will include a skidsteer, ATV, and trailers.”
Between six and 10 horses will be housed at the site and up to 200 bales of hay will be stored on the east side of the arena, members heard.
“The hay and bedding will be hauled to the property around once a month.”
The classes will contain up to eight students and there will be up to three classes a day.
“There will be approximately 25 customers a day and up to 175 customers a week.”
As part of its application, the applicant said, “We will facilitate personal growth through skills development to overcome life’s challenges.”
The commission received three letters from nearby residents, with concerns raised including road conditions and dust, water use, lighting, parking, and trespassing on nearby properties.
One letter writer stated, in part, that, “We have lived here for almost 21 years and have invested a large amount of time, energy and money in our hobby of astronomy and astrophotography. Light pollution has a huge detrimental effect on this activity. Therefore we request that low level lighting be used on this building or anywhere on this 20 acre parcel.”
Another writer stated, in part, that, “I would simply like to state our concern with this proposal is that our land is not to be used for any riding purposes. We do not want any person other than who has been given permission to use our land to ride horse on.”
Another writer called on the county to ensure that road conditions in the area around the facility are regularly monitored.
The approved permit comes with a number of conditions, including the following:
• All events outside the permitted classes contained within this development permit shall require the issuance of a new development permit.
• No camping will be permitted on the subject property at any time.
• Any future expansion and/or intensification of the riding arena will require the issuance of a new development permit.
Meanwhile, the commission also approved a proposed subdivision to create a 16.14-acre parcel within NW 26-30-1-5 and consolidate with one 138.21-acre parcel within NE 26-30-1-5.
The property is located in the Wessex rural neighbourhood in Division 3.
“This is a proposal to remove a fragmented parcel from a previously subdivided quarter section,” administration said in a briefing note to the commission.
“This parcel is fragmented from the balance of the quarter by Twp. Rd. 305 and is utilized with the SE quarter, including the driveway from the township road to the yard within the SE quarter. The proposal is to be consolidated with the NE 26-30-1-5 and the zoning complies.”
The municipal planning commission is made up of county councillors and appointed members of the public.
