Protecting agricultural land while allowing for growth is a difficult balance, say candidates in the MD of Foothills.
Some running for council say applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis and that it should not significantly impact the quality of life that has brought many to the MD in the first place.
“The difficulty of agriculture is we do have a situation where there are a lot of people whose quality of life depends on open spaces and the ability to breathe without the clutter and disturbance of the urban lifestyle that continues to creep into most agricultural areas,” said Division 5 candidate Ron Chase.
He said the onus should be on the people behind development proposals to satisfy concerns of area residents.
Chase said he believes the MD has done a good job balancing growth and preserving land and a rural lifestyle within the Foothills.
Div. 7 candidate Jay Groeneveld said the MD is rooted in agriculture and there’s an obligation to protect it to a degree.
“This is a growing MD and people want to move here, people want to raise their children here in the lifestyle in this rural setting,” he said. “There’s always going to be that pressure to grow.”
Groeneveld said the challenge is to balance development pressures.
Residential developments should not be built at the expense of productive agricultural land or unique or sensitive areas that should be protected, he said. Higher-density developments should be built in existing towns or cities, Groeneveld added.
Div. 2 candidate Delilah Miller said development in rural areas should be different than in urban areas.
“I think there always can be more done as the cities start to encroach on all municipalities across this country, not just here,” she said. “There’s going to be more pressure from landowners who want to subdivide and from landowners who want to retain farmland and ranchland.”
Miller said areas near Calgary, larger communities in the Foothills and near major highway corridors are slated for higher-density developments.
“Anything north of Okotoks is more for that higher density, anything south, in my opinion, we need to be really careful how we go about allowing future developments,” she said.
With the recent completion of the Okotoks annexation, Miller said urban-style developments should occur within the town, not the MD.
Div. 5 candidate Alan Alger said he wants to keep as much agricultural land in production as possible.
He said there are large tracts of undeveloped land in the division. And, Alger believes much of it will be set up with conservation and land trust status, much like the Cross Conservation Area.
“I definitely would like to see more of that in the future and I will work hard to see if we can make that happen because that’s how you definitely preserve those lands for eternity, if you will,” he said.
Alger said there should be more flexibility to work with developers to come up with plans that will suit residents, the MD and developers.
“These people aren’t going to go away, they have too much money invested in land and infrastructure and things like that, that they’re not just going to take ‘no’ from the MD,” he said. “So, we need to find a way to work with them.”
Alger said he supports small subdivision applications by landowners looking to set up property for their children or to sell off small parcels for financial reasons, but not of large-scale subdivisions on bigger pieces of land.
Div. 5 candidate Barry Klassen said development should be planned and appropriate for areas where it is proposed.
He said it appears the MD has good plans in place to protect agricultural land.
While prime agricultural parcels should be protected, Klassen said could be opportunities to develop land of poor agricultural value.
“In some cases, maybe that land should be turned over into something that will bring some tax dollars into the MD and help fund some other projects that are going on in the MD,” he said.
Klassen said there needs to be more communication between the MD and residents to ensure people are well informed about development proposals near their homes.
“I just think there should be a little bit more open communication and community involvement on what happens in your backyard,” he said.
