Town seeing more interest from developers

A popular doughnut chain is thought to be the catalyst behind a growing interest in commercial development in Black Diamond’s northeast.

Rod Ross, Black Diamond planning and development officer, said since Tim Hortons opened its doors last summer the Town is receiving interest in available land near the franchise. He said a microbrewery was approved last month and an A&W could follow.

“I think Tim Hortons is a bit of a bellwether for developers,” he said. “They see that go up in the community and I think there’s the perception of if Tim Hortons is determined they can make money in a town it’s a bit of a green light for more activity.”

Ross said the restaurant is bringing more traffic into Black Diamond that might have otherwise passed through town.

“They might become more aware of opportunities that they might not have been if they had been rolling through,” he said. “It’s on the way to Okotoks and that’s where most of the traffic is heading.”

Ross said while there was a fair amount of development in that area between 2005 and 2008, it has since slowed down.

“It’s reflective of the overall growth of the town in that it has been fairly slow in recent years,” he said. “We are still not growing that fast, but there is interest in more commercial development. We want to see more business in town, we want to see more employment, we want to diversify our tax base.”

The Town recently approved the subdivision of 3.2 acres of land into three smaller commercial lots between Tim Hortons and RONA north of highway 7.

It then approved a development permit for a 5,000 square-foot microbrewery with a tasting room in the middle parcel, said Ross. He added that the developer told him there has been interest in the two remaining parcels, although no applications have been received.

“We are thrilled to have the microbrewery coming to town,” he said. “It will be an attractive building with a western style façade facing the highway.

“It’s exactly the type of business that we are hoping to see more of in our community. It’s really a complement to the business community and it adds to the mix of businesses here in the town.”

Brother and sister Cory and Pamela Lyken said they plan to have their microbrewery open for business before Canada Day.

“It’s been an interest for the last five or six years, but never really seriously,” said Pamela of starting the business.

That changed with the economic downturn. Cory had been without a job for two years and Pamela for one. The two decided to take charge.

“We are from Millarville and grew up here, we went to school in Black Diamond,” said Pamela, who now lives in Turner Valley. “We thought if we are going to do this let’s do it in our area we love so much.”

The two got to work making business connections – finding a supplier in the Maritimes, an installer next door and a brew master in Tennessee - and with a permit in place they are prepared to break ground early this month.

The business duo are calling the microbrewery Hard Knox Brewery, representing the hard times when coal miners, farmers, ranchers and oil and gas workers built Black Diamond and Turner Valley from the ground up.

The brewery will have a tasting room and patio. Cory will operate the business and Pamela will be in charge of marketing and sales.

The team is in the process of creating four flagship beers and plan to use Alberta-grown barley and malts. They hope to have a limited-edition celebration beer in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary.

“We think we will bring a real destination to Black Diamond for the tourist season,” said Pamela. “We definitely want to make it a place for community to hold their private events, but also a destination on the Cowboy Trail.”

Another popular franchise eyeing land in Black Diamond’s northeast is A&W, but Ross said the Town needs to determine if the intersection at 3rd Street and Highway 7 can handle the extra traffic first.

“We need to resolve some transportation issues,” he said.

Residents have said there is a lack of visibility to access the highway from 3rd Street SE since a turning lane was added to Highway 7 last fall and expressed concerns about pedestrian safety when crossing the busy highway at that intersection, despite the installation of crosswalk lights last fall.

The Town is currently conducting a study on the intersection, which should be complete at the end of this month, said Ross. He said it will address safety of vehicles entering the intersection from the south, access onto the highway, concerns about sightlines with the grade of the road and pedestrian safety.

“We are looking at appropriate short-term measures that could be taken to address some of these concerns,” he said. “The ultimate solution is signalization of the intersection.”