An attempt by developers to save the Netook Crossing project at Highway 2/27 east of Olds hit a snag last week when Mountain View County councillors took issue with claims that misinformation had shaped public input for the Municipal Development Plan review.Realtor Herb Styles, representing Neuroese Properties and speaking also on behalf of Proventure Income Fund, appealed to council's policies and priorities committee Wednesday to become partners in a third-party financial assessment of the proposed 2/27 development.ìWe have increasing concerns with recent statements of some members of council that they don't like the project and don't want it,î Styles said in his opening remarks.The purpose of the fiscal impact study would be to ensure council ìis more fully informedî before deciding on critical issues such as residential density and servicing plans for the area, he said.Neuroese would cover the entire cost of the study but the county would participate by helping to determine its scope and timing, questions for the consultant, and selecting the consultant, Neuroese planner Greg Brown said.ìWhereas we would pay the bill,î Styles added, ìwe're asking council to participate in it so you will have full confidence in the viewpoint ñ so at the end of the day we have a product that you and I think are correct.îDiv. 6 Coun. Paddy Munro was first to throw cold water on the idea, calling it premature and pointing out the county had already held open houses and conducted phone and mail-out surveys as part of the ongoing MDP review.ìThe MDP process involves everyone ñ not just the seven of us going into a little room here,î Munro said. ìIt's paramount that we have a true Municipal Development Plan that follows the wishes of the people of this county.îìSome of the information that's gone out to the public is just not correct,î Styles replied. ìWe've got surrounding municipalities that are desperate to get what you've got on a platter at no cost. We believe we have a plan that will enhance the development tremendously and, if the county proves itself to be an investor-friendly county, will help you offset your declining oil and gas tax revenue.ìI appreciate your concerns. I'm just asking for more time to get the facts that prove or disprove your assumptions Ö before investor dollars are gone forever,î Styles said.ìLet's come to the table with real facts.îWhen Div. 2 Coun. Trish McKean asked if the developers were expecting council to postpone its MDP rollout to the public, Styles said: ìFor a little while. You gotta make sure you've got all the facts. Some of it so far is misinformation.îMcKean responded that she would be concerned if council had to go with facts as presented by the consultant, ìbecause we have public input,î she said.ìBut some of the public input is based on misinformation,î Styles persisted.ìLet's have a little more time and then let the public give you input based on real facts.îOne factor stressed during the presentation was the Energy Resource Conservation Board 2010 forecast that projected only 10 more years of oil and gas reserves in the county, which currently derives about 63 per cent of its tax revenue from oil and gas activity.Div. 1 Coun. Kevin Good questioned that assumption.ìThere are tens of millions of dollars being spent on land sales at the provincial level ñ companies booked for three or four years,î Good said, noting he had worked for 23 years in the oilpatch.ìHistory has shown the government is inept at forecasts. I urge you to get information from industry, not the ERCB.îStyles said that direction would be followed.Reeve Bruce Beattie, however, told Styles the county would not want to be seen as partners in the study.ìPartnerships can be dangerous things at times and can be construed in the wrong way as well,î Beattie (Div. 4) said. ìI think you can probably appreciate that.îAt the same time, Beattie added, ìI would suggest we would be open to any information you could provide to help us make a better decision Ö I don't think anybody here wants the county to be seen as a place that isn't good to invest in.îMunro said he'd simply like to see council continue with the MDP review process.ìWe all know that, with all due respect, you can hire a consultant to say whatever you want if you're paying the bill,î Munro told Styles. ìI don't want to be involved in any way in your study. Present your study Ö and we'll take it from there.îThe study, Good said, would be more appropriate during a review of the 2/27 ASP, which is slated to follow adoption of the new MDP in early 2012.ìThe MDP ñ most of us we're elected because the average ratepayer did not like where the county was heading,î Good said, adding that the public input has been ìall-time record-breakingî to date. ìThe public is seriously involved in this, rest assured.îGood also backed up Munro's comments about consultant studies delivering preferred results, saying he had witnessed the same process in the oil and gas industry.McKean, Div. 3 Coun. Duncan Milne, and Div. 5 Coun. Bob Orr said they too felt the MDP review should go forward as scheduled ñ and Orr had a suggestion for Styles.ìMaybe you can send us a list of the misinformation items that are out there Ö and we can respond to it.îDiv. 7 Coun. Al Kemmere concurred that council had to stick to its MDP review timetable, though he said he was also open to reviewing the parameters of the Neuroese study.ìI find it interesting that we're against hiring a consultant but we're using a consultant for the MDP,î he observed.Beattie reiterated he would be reluctant to approve any aspect of the developers' study. Instead, he took up Orr's point on Styles' claims about misinformation.ìIt might be cheaper for you in the long run to identify what you perceive as misinformation,î Beattie said.ìI agree there's still some misunderstandings about what you're trying to provide ñ not so much misinformation,î he added, winding up the exchange by calling it ìa very useful conversation.îStyles said he appreciated the time (more than an hour) P&P had given the delegation and promised to offer the county every opportunity to be included in the study from the outset.ìI don't want to waste my money to do a study and have you say ëWe don't believe it',î he said.The delegation had requested P&P formally recommend to council that the county partner with Neuroese on the study, and Kemmere asked that the matter instead be brought back to council on Oct. 26. ìThis whole process needs a little more thought,î he said.McKean said she would like to see Neuroese submit its report on claimed misinformation for that meeting date as well.ìWe will work with that,î Styles said.During his presentation, Styles did refer to the future costs of servicing and ìusing up prime farmlandî as ìunfounded reasoningî to oppose the Netook development.On servicing, he said, ìthe Municipal Government Act establishes a clear framework for the provisions of utilities, connection requirements and ongoing maintenance cost recovery mechanisms from users. The utility service fees and taxes from our development will be more than sufficient to cover the county's ongoing maintenance and lifecycle costs.îOn the use of prime farmland, he noted that an average acreage occupying four acres uses up significantly more farmland ìthan we would use for a clustered residential development at one-and-a-half units per acre.îQuestioned by McKean on the numbers, Styles explained that clustered residential lots would be a quarter-acre in size, with the balance of the 1.5 acres dedicated as green space and reserve.Proventure and Neuroese estimate that together they have invested close to $20 million in land, planning, engineering and infrastructure at Netook Crossing.ìNeuroese Properties did not come to invest in this county as a speculator,î Styles told P&P. ìFolks, we saw an opportunity to invest in Netook where there was a clear and logical development policy in place. It was obvious at community meetings and public hearings that the existing MDP and ASP had widespread public support.ìWe invested in this county with confidence and paid for the added value for the ASP that has been put in place,î Styles continued, adding that the developers worked with and enjoyed good relationships with county officials, administration and area residents.ìAs a result of this careful planning and consultation you will appreciate that we have a project that is now almost shovel ready.îStyles said the proposed residential component ñ adjacent to Olds Highlands Golf Course ñ gives a strong market advantage to the whole Netook Crossing concept, and that Proventure has struggled to attract tenants on the south side of Highway 27 in a market that is saturated with stand-alone highway commercial and industrial parks.The 2/27 development at full build-out will generate between $2 million and $11 million in annual property taxes, he said.Beattie pointed out that council will be weighing ìconsiderations other than fiscalî in its revision of the MDP.
