Mountain View County council has approved the rezoning application for a 57-site recreational vehicle park southeast of Sundre.Dean and Dawn Hedley's application for Rainbow Ridge RV Park was given the green light Wednesday after a public hearing in which no objectors appeared and a representative for the owners of a nearby feedlot expressed strong support for the project.ìI think our site will be a better site than any other in the community,î Dean Hedley told council before it voted on the proposal, situated in an old-growth forested area on the west side of Rge. Rd. 45 north of Twp. Rd. 322A, about 4.5 miles southeast of SundreìWe'll have premium tenants (and) they'll be spending money in the community.îThe county received seven letters of objection from surrounding residents, but ìthe applicant has responded from our perspective adequately,î planning manager Nathan Petherick said, adding that any outstanding issues could be addressed at the development permit stage.The planning department had recommended refusal of the application due to its proximity to Grace Feedyards, a confined feeing operation that has grandfathered status for 10,000 beef finishers and currently operates with between 6,500 and 7,000 head.Although the Hedleys and the feedlot owners have signed a restrictive covenant agreeing not to interfere with each other's development, future attempts by the feedlot to expand could be hampered by the presence of the RV park, Petherick told council.ìThe moment this would come to a head is when the (feedlot) operation would try to expand,î Petherick said. ìMy understanding is it would be a no-go. I don't think the restrictive covenant would circumvent (Natural Resources Conservation Board regulations).îRepresenting Grace Feedyards, Ron Elliott said he had no objections to the project.ìI don't see it ever becoming a problem,î Elliott said. ìThere are a lot more problems with expanding a CFO in this area than one campground.îDiv. 1 Coun. Kevin Good did not agree with that assessment, however.ìI know how ag operations can change and morph. I sympathize with all the efforts and costs that have gone into this proposal ñ as a group we have to come up with a way of limiting that.î But, he added, ìto limit an extensive ag operation in the area is why I feel it isn't a fit.îDiv. 3 Coun. Duncan Milne said he concurred.ìI would hate like heck to see (the feedlot) restricted because we put that in.îBut Div. 4 Coun. Bruce Beattie echoed Elliott's point of view.ìI think there'll be a lot more issues with other residences in the area if the feedlot tries to expand,î Beattie said.Div. 5 Coun. Bob Orr said the RV park would not be taking agricultural land out of production.ìAs far as the feedlot goes, we don't even know if it's going to be there in 50 years,î Orr said. ìWe have a ratepayer today trying to make a living.îIf Hedley can work co-operatively with the feedlot owners, he added, ìmore power to him.îMcKean said she was onside with Beattie and Orr.ìI feel it's economic development,î she said.Reeve Paddy Munro said the Hedleys, by consulting with the community, had done their due diligence.ìIt was essential to me when you started talking to the Graces,î Munro (Div. 6) said.ìI believe it will be a good campground.îDiv. 7 Coun. Al Kemmere said he had concerns about the proximity to the feedlot, but could support the application with the double assurances of the feedlot owners being on record in support of the project and the concept plan spelling out its scope.One proviso, he said, is that the development permit application should be brought before the municipal planning commission, not administration, for approval.The rezoning bylaw was adopted, with only Good opposed.During his presentation, Hedley said he had worked for three years to bring the application forward, incurring more than $60,000 in expenses and working with three different county planners. The costs included a $7,000 flood risk assessment requested by the county that delayed the project four months and would have been deemed unnecessary if an initial site assessment has been conducted, he said.The fully serviced campsites will be leased from May 1 to Sept. 30 and all sites will be private and well treed, with amenities to include a stocked trout pond and mini-golf course. ATVs, dirt bikes and horses will not be allowed on the site.The site is part of the Hedleys' 149-acre farm but the heavy tree cover and class 4d soil make it unsuitable for farming.
