Motorsports park controversy continues

Controversy over a proposed multi-million dollar motorsports park in Mountain View County is ongoing.

A petition against the potential development has garnered hundreds of signatures, but Mountain View County officials say they have received positive feedback as well.

Rocky Mountain Motorsports submitted an application to the county earlier this year for a direct control re-designation under the land use bylaw.

The applicant would like to build the facility on the southeast corner where Highway 2 and Highway 581 intersect, just east of Carstairs, on land currently owned by William and Judith Snyder.

Rocky Mountain Motorsports president Dominic Young said it would include a three- to five-kilometre track, an area for the Calgary Police Service to train officers, storage space for vehicles and an area for businesses to set up shop.

But neighbouring landowners have expressed concerns with the proposed development, including things like noise, smell and traffic safety.

Matthew Pawlow, manager of planning services with Mountain View County, said an internal review of the application is being conducted.

He said it was circulated to government agencies and adjacent landowners within a one-mile radius of the proposed site for 30 days in May.

The 30-day circulation period ended on June 17 and county officials have since been compiling a package with all of the feedback received to provide to the applicant.

They have also been reviewing technical studies submitted by the applicant.

Pawlow said once all of the county's concerns have been met – and the province's, since the site involves Alberta highways – the bylaw will go to council for first reading.

If council gives first reading of the bylaw, a public hearing would be held roughly a month later, which would provide residents with the opportunity to voice their opinion.

“We haven't set a date yet for the first reading of the bylaw so that still means that the public hearing date hasn't been set yet,” said Pawlow.

Linda Neumiller, who owns property adjacent to the proposed location, is one of the petition holders and said they haven't been collecting many signatures over the summer because several people are away on holidays.

Pawlow said petitions aren't actually official when it comes to a land use bylaw amendment, but council could take the number of signatures into consideration as an indication of the volume of people who either support or oppose the development.

“They can submit their comments, so if they want to have a list of names outlining their opposition or support for the motorsports park, then they have to have it in by the public hearing date,” he said.

If the petition holders are unable to submit the list of signatures to county officials before the hearing, they would also have the opportunity to bring it to the hearing, he said.

“We prepare the information so council has it ahead of time, and if it's not ready by whoever's submitting it, they have to take the responsibility of preparing enough copies to have it distributed,” he said.

If council gives first reading of the bylaw, second and third readings would be considered following the public hearing.

If the bylaw is adopted, the applicant would need to apply for a development permit under the regulations of the direct control district.

Pawlow said although officials have been receiving negative feedback from residents, people have also been providing positive comments on the potential development.

“That's typical of any application. There will be those who feel they're negatively affected and they outline what their concerns are, and we look into it and share that with the applicant so that they can best address those,” he said.

“And then there are those who are in support and we also include that so that council has a good understanding of what the impact of this will be in the community, both positive and negative.”

He encourages people who are for the proposal to attend the public hearing as well.

“The public hearing is definitely for all parties and we encourage those of either position to come out and state their opinion,” he said.

Many people have provided positive and negative comments about the potential development in a discussion group on Facebook for Carstairs and area residents.

One resident created a poll in the discussion group. Out of 106 people who took part in the poll, 52 were against the potential development, 49 were for it and five were undecided.

Young has opened up a temporary satellite office on 10th Avenue in Carstairs two days a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, for residents to express any concerns or ask questions about the development during the application process.