The Mountain View Planning Commission has approved an application to strip and grade a portion of the land south of the Olds Regional Exhibition facilities, potentially for a horse training area.
Specifically the area – shaped much like a map of Alberta, encompasses parts of 5321 54 St., 5325 54 St. and 5100 58 St. Because the land is designated Recreation Facility as well as District and Urban Reserve, it falls under the discretionary use category, and was thus referred to the MPC for approval.
Besides stripping and grading land in the area, the application includes dismantling the ball diamond and the fences that are currently in place. All soil material will be left on-site for development of a berm on the west side of the parcel.
Applications for the horse training track – or whatever use is decided upon – are expected to come before council some time in the new year.
However, approval didn't come easily. Commissioners discussed the idea thoroughly. They were concerned when town development officer Carey Keleman and co-chief operating officer Scott Chant told them that although the project is currently envisioned as a horse training track, proponents might change their minds about the eventual use of that land.
Commission chair Ken Hunt -- along with commissioners Dave Harris, Mary Jane Harper and Wade Bearchell -- expressed concern administrative staff and the applicants were “putting the cart before the horse” by asking for approval of the stripping/grading process before clearly spelling out what it will eventually be used for.
“We don't have information on what it's actually going to be,” Harris said. “Are we voting on something we don't even know what the ultimate goal is?”
“This is a stripping, grinding permit. They have a model in their minds (but) they might change it into something else. They might seed it back to grass and use it for cows,” Chant said.
Bearchell said he felt like the matter is being pushed a bit.
“This is not the first time we've received application from the Ag Society with a rush to do something because they delayed it or they needed it. So we basically did not follow what I would consider – or many would consider – a normal procedure, because we felt we had to rush it,” Bearchell said.
He raised the spectre of the MegaDome incident when it was approved several years ago, even though it was later found to violate height restrictions, thereby drawing the ire of nearby residents.
“I hope they understand we're going to look really long and hard as a council at what they want to do. There'll be a lot of concern with (nearby) residents,” Bearchell said.
“We've been pitching to them (that) “this is a delicate item,” Chant said. “We know there's going to be a lot of concern with neighbours to the west. They've got to do a lot of discussion with neighbours to the west.”
In regard to the pace with which this application is coming forward, Chant said developers are hoping to get the track going next spring, perhaps as soon as March.
Hunt said it's his understanding there already is a track in the area, so “there may be some duplication as well.”
Harris noted the land in question currently contains two ball fields and a soccer pitch.
“It seems to me that recreational facilities in this town are at a premium,” he said. “Is there consideration being made to replacing them elsewhere?”
Chant said the land actually belongs to the Olds Regional Exhibition, so it's not town land.
“We've had the use of having those facilities. But they've told us all along that some day if they developed it we'd have to find a different location (for the pitch and ball fields),” he said.
“So yes, the soccer pitches are being developed right now. We have an area up by the Catholic school that was dedicated for sports fields that is in the process of getting done this fall; have soccer pitches there.”
Mayor Judy Dahl echoed that point.
“Town council is well aware of opportunities that we have in the future to relocate recreation facilities. We've been working on that for years. We know that we don't own those lands,” she said.
Pull Quote
"We don't have information on what it's actually going to be. Are we voting on something we don't even know what the ultimate goal is?" MPC commissioner Dave Harris
