A plan to subdivide and re-designate about 130 hectares of agricultural land for a proposed 46-lot country-residential subdivision north of Delburne was soundly rejected by Red Deer County Council last week.Councillors voted unanimously to turn down a local area structure plan for the Jensen Subdivision that would have re-designated the proposed multi-lot subdivision from Agricultural District (Ag) to Country Residential (R-1) and subdivided the 129.19 hectares into 46 parcels.Div. 4 Coun. David Hoar made the motion to deny second reading, saying it concerned him that council was considering a 46-lot subdivision without communal water and sewer.ìI believe a development of this scale requires full services and should not be supported with individual water wells and 46 septic systems,î he said.Approving the subdivision would further erode the county's agricultural base, Div. 1 Coun. Philip Massier added.ìWe're running out of agricultural land. I truly think that the County of Red Deer is an agricultural county,î he said.ìI do see a need for more people in the community. Farms are getting larger and larger and the towns are smaller and smaller. I'm torn on how to get the people in the country to support our small towns but I don't think tearing up ag land is the answer at this point in time.îIn four letters sent to the county, area residents expressed concern that the subdivision would put a strain on the local aquifer; lead to an increase in trespassing, pollution and traffic; reduce safety; was out of place in an area largely used for farming; and cause the loss of cultivated land and wildlife in the area.Dan Bonham, a resident living just south of the proposed development, expressed concerns with water supply and an ìextremeî increase in the amount of traffic due to all the vehicles driving to and from the subdivision as well as school buses.ìI don't think I really want all that traffic by my place,î Bonham told councillors during the public hearing held prior to the vote.Another nearby resident, Louise Allison, said the area's water is in short supply ñ she has already drilled three wells. Allison said her family has lived on the property for five generations, which she said entitles them to have a say on the area's future.ìWe have a peaceful, safe community and we want to keep it that way,î she said.The owner of an area gravel pit expressed concerns with the development limiting his future plans to expand the pit to the west. If approved, Chris Hansen asked council to put conditions on all acreages on the east quarter of the subdivision accepting the fact his pit operated in the area.ìI see problems with the acreage people if I want to expand in the future to the west to extract more gravel,î he said.Delburne resident Glynn Humphreys, who spoke on behalf of property owners Donald and Leda Jensen, said Alberta government data seemed to indicate the local aquifer is more than sufficient to supply the new subdivision. A storm water and geotechnical report would be completed following approval of the proposal, he added.Donald Jensen said he appreciated the position of his neighbours but said the land, and the positioning of it, would be a great location for a subdivision.ìCertainly I want to commit to my neighbours that there is proper drainage going through,î he said, noting the proposed subdivision would also recognize and accommodate wildlife.Mayor Jim Wood said while he understood the need for more people in communities, he did not want to hamper the removal of gravel from area pits.ìI think it's important we extract our gravel from some of these areas before we fully develop them out,î he said.
