Efforts to establish a new land use district for resort accommodation along Stewart Creek golf course stalled this week after council voted to postpone the matter until after the upcoming October election.
The proposal to establish a direct control district for 20 accommodation units by QuantumPlace Developments recently made it through the Sustainability Screening Report process.
But some on council were concerned about providing first reading without copies of a biophysical impact assessment and independent review available at Tuesday’s (Sept. 3) meeting, even though those documents would be available by the time of the public hearing.
“I don’t think we have all the information,” said Councillor Joanna McCallum, who put forward the motion to postpone. “I would like to see the biophysical impact assessment provided with first reading of this document as per the Stewart Creek Area Structure Plan and the independent review.
“We state to the public we have a robust process, but we seem to be clipping tiny corners of that process to make it happen faster and I’m not OK with that.”
Administration recommended approval of first reading as the documents would be available before the proposed Sept. 24 public hearing. Manager of planning and development Alaric Fish said the proponent hoped to get the bylaw through to third reading before the Oct. 21 election.
QuantumPlace made the application on June 19, and Fish said as a result of the flood, summer recess and getting through the SSR process, it has taken a while to get to first reading.
“It is not that the applicant is driving an aggressive timeline, but between the flooding, summer break and the election, the number of dates available are few,” he said.
QuantumPlace developer Chris Ollenberger was critical of council’s 4-2 vote to postpone until the impact assessment is available, as four other assessments have been done on that site over the years and are available.
“It is clear this council has decided it is closed for business to development or any growth in the commercial tax base,” Ollenberger said. “It is unfortunate that this council does not recognize that this same piece of land has had over four biophysical impact or environmental assessments and has gone through two SSR applications and is the site of an operating clubhouse which hasn’t had any wildlife issues.”
Mayor John Borrowman argued against the postponement, saying there is no value in delaying the application at this stage.
“The key is getting the input from the public,” Borrowman said, adding if the independent review brings up any concerns, council can still amend or reject the bylaw at second reading. “I do not see any particular value of postponing first reading or leaving this hanging during the election.”
At the same meeting, council passed first reading of a bylaw to establish approximately 12 hectares adjacent to the Stewart Creek site as a wildlands conservation district.
The bylaw was originally connected to QuantumPlace’s application, but administration brought it forward as a separate item. The public hearing for that bylaw is scheduled for Sept. 24.
