A Mountain View County moratorium on some new development in the McDougal Flats area along the Red Deer River west of Sundre has been approved – with a modified and smaller moratorium area than the one originally proposed in October.
The split-decision motion approving the moratorium came following the second public hearing for the amending bylaw on Nov. 12.
Reeve Bruce Beattie, and councillors Al Kemmere, Ken Heck and Jeremy Sayer voted for the motion, while Coun. Duncan Milne voted against. Coun. Angela Aalbers abstained because she lives in the affected area, and Deputy Reeve Patricia McKean did not attend the Nov. 12 hearing.
About 75 people, many residents of the McDougal Flats area, were in attendance at the council chamber hearing.
The moratorium was put forward following the release of the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Golder Associates McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study draft report.
The study was undertaken under the province's new flood hazard identification program, which aims to map flood hazards on rivers across the province following massive flooding in 2013.
The study took a year to prepare through the examination of past flood levels, including from 2005 and 2013, and through other investigative processes.
The study identified the flood hazard area, floodway and flood fringe along the Red Deer River in the study area, which is bordered by Rge. Rd. 63 on the west and Rge. Rd. 53 on the east, between township roads 322 and 324.
The study area covers 60 quarter sections, with 525 parcels and 441 landowners.
The flood hazard area is the total area that could be flooded in a 1:100-year flood; the floodway is the portion of the hazard area where the flow is deepest, fastest and most destructive; and the flood fringe is the portion of the hazard area outside the floodway.
The original moratorium covered the entire study area. The amended moratorium approved Nov. 12 prohibits the construction of new structures in the floodway area only.
That floodway includes property along both banks of the river and includes Coyote Creek Golf and RV Resort and portions of the Molmac subdivision.
Agriculture, roads, bridges, flood and erosion infrastructure and recreational vehicles on wheels in existing recreational lots are exempted from the moratorium.
The study itself is in draft form and has not been approved by the province.
During the Nov. 12 public hearing a number of McDougal Flats residents voiced concerns with the moratorium and its possible impacts.
“Undue financial hardships, stress levels and quality of life have been affected compliments of Mountain View County and council,” said Ellen Power. “People do not want to invest vast amounts of money to live in a campground because that is what you are trying to turn McDougal Flats into.”
After the moratorium was approved, Power said she expects it will negatively impact property values in the entire Sundre area.
“I am very unhappy,” she said. “They should have quashed it. I think all of Mountain View County should be paying attention because if this can happen here, it can happen in any area.”
Bruce Johnson, general manager of Coyote Creek, calls the moratorium approved Nov. 12 bad news.
“We are very disappointed,” Johnson said following the hearing. He said Coyote Creek will now consider its options, including possible legal action.
Molmac resident Leslee Scopic has started a petition calling for the moratorium to be scrapped.
“You're destroying people's lives,” Scopic told councillors during the hearing.
Former county councillor Liz Negropontes, who does not live in McDougal Flats, also called on council to discard the moratorium completely.
“This whole process is filled with hypocrisy and contradiction,” said Negropontes. “The whole moratorium should be voted out and cast aside until there is a proper study. It's wrong to put a shroud over that entire area. Bite the bullet and start again.”
For his part, Reeve Bruce Beattie said he believes the moratorium is the best way to protect all county residents.
“What we are trying to do is protect the interests of the county for today and in the future and also take into account the interests of purchasers of land or past purchasers of land,” said Beattie. “We are allies, we are part of this community and we are trying to do the best that we can to bring forward those kinds of legislative decisions that are in the best interests of everyone. “We were given legal advice that we should have a moratorium in place to protect the county. We are told often that if we don't follow legal advice that's when we place all of us in jeopardy of further litigation.”
The moratorium will remain in place until Feb. 28 unless council takes further action.
"What we are trying to do is protect the interests of the county."Reeve Bruce Beattie
