The public hearing on a proposal to rezone 88 acres west of Sundre for a 177-unit recreational vehicle campground has been put on hold until Sept. 7.Mountain View County council deferred the application at its July 6 meeting pending a written response from Alberta Environment.Owned by Sundre River Resorts Inc., the parcel proposed for redesignation to Parks and Recreation District is situated on the east side of Rge. Rd. 60, immediately south of Bearberry Creek, which divides the agricultural-zoned quarter section.The hearing was the culmination of a three-year process, consultant Bob Wescott told council during his presentation on behalf of the owners.ìIssues were brought to our attention ñ first and foremost, flood risk,î Wescott said. ìThe flood-risk analysis took about two years to complete.îWescott said flooding on Bearberry Creek has been caused in part by blocked debris in the creek's channels. The company has been working to clear debris and ìAlberta Environment has advised us that Ö as the creek gets cleared up to the east, we will enhance the flow there.îOne neighbour spoke with concerns about the application. Kelly Dziadek, who lives directly south of the parcel, said the owners have addressed many of the issues she's raised ñ regarding sewage, fire management and the campground's ownership structure.ìThe owners have been very forthright and transparent with what they want to do with the land. Some of the concerns Ö have been addressed very well. Others can't be addressed because it's just development,î Dziadek said.ìOf course our peace and security will be affected. They addressed this by saying these people will be investors that will be camping here, so they have a vested interest in it.îHowever, Dziadek said, as a safeguard she would like to see the conditions addressing her concerns attached to the property title.ìThese people have tons of integrity. They have transparency and a vision,î she said. ìBut if it's sold ÖîThe planning department recommended approval. Planner Christian Tinney said conditions for sewage disposal, water use, flooding, stormwater management and other issues could be contained in the development permit for the campground.Asked by Div. 7 Coun. Al Kemmere if the department had received any response from Alberta Environment on placing the development on the creek's ìflood fringe,î Tinney said Environment generally does not comment on files unless it has a concern. In this case, Environment declined on two occasions to comment on the proposal ñ when the ASP recommendations were first circulated and when the current application was filed.ìThere's been two different opportunities for comments to come forward,î Tinney said.Div. 2 Coun. Patricia McKean said her concern was a possible lapse in public consultation due to the mail strike.Acting CAO Greg Wiens said notification was given through a newspaper ad, meeting the legal requirements of the Municipal Government Act, ìbut whether council wants to go ahead is up to council,î he said.Kemmere proposed a ìmotion to defer any more work on this until we get a letter from Alberta Environment or the Alberta government saying they either have concerns or don't have concerns on this.îThe reworded motion passed unanimously.Interim planning director John Rusling said he was confident he could set up a meeting with Alberta Environment officials within three or four weeks. And since council had concerns about disruptions caused by the postal strike, he said, the county will also mail out notification of the Sept. 7 date to adjacent residents.In his presentation, Wescott said the owners' original intent was to develop a public campground, but under the revised plan, site holders will buy membership units instead.ìAs we went through the consultation we heard that there isn't a desire or an appetite to have a public campground in that area (due to) the lack of responsibility and the problems a public campground make.Under the new plan, ìall the purchasers who buy shares in the company have a vested interest in protecting their equity.îThe owners will enter into a joint-use agreement with the community for recreational facilities that are constructed as part of the development, he said.Amenities listed in the project outline include a regulation softball diamond, soccer pitch, playgrounds, parks, craft shop, tea house, tuck shop, shower and laundry, games room, horseshoe pits, barbecue pits, volleyball court, and ìpassive recreational activities such as walking and hiking trails and interpretive centres.î
