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Residents speak out against event centre

Concerns from area residents lead MD of Foothills councillors to turn down a proposal by a Millarville-area ranch that would have allowed as many as four events a month on the property.

Concerns from area residents lead MD of Foothills councillors to turn down a proposal by a Millarville-area ranch that would have allowed as many as four events a month on the property.

MD of Foothills resident Michael Kaumeyer, owner of 7K Panorama Ranch, applied to the MD to be able to host four monthly farm-to-table education events, as well as an annual Harvest Moon fundraiser. Panorama Ranch is located approximately 1.5 kilometres north of Highway 549 and west of 96 Street West, in Division 5.

After an April 12 public hearing, council voted to only allow the annual fundraiser, as well as to rezone the property to direct control.

MD mayor Larry Spilak said the decision will give councillors more control over activities on the property.

“That way in future, if things are conducted properly and neighbours aren’t affected, there is a possibility of getting a few more events,” he said.

Division 5 Coun. Ron Chase said the number of events proposed was a concern for neighbours who spoke out at the hearing, and there was a feeling in council that a reduction of events may have made the application more tolerable for the community.

He thought council’s decision was fair and respected the concerns of area residents, while still allowing the Kaumeyers to undertake their larger fundraising endeavours.

“I think it was probably a very fine consideration,” said Chase.

While there was strong support from some neighbours for the farm to plate educational events proposed and their potential benefit to the area, he said the community representation in opposition to the application was too strong to discount.

“I was very pleased for the Kaumeyers that council was willing to provide the one very special event with the hopes that at some point in the future that event could also benefit some MD charitable opportunities,” said Chase. “But, the number of events was a problem, which was evident in the community representation.”

Area resident Donna Galvin said she wasn’t just concerned about the sheer number of events. She was also worried about the impact on roads, water, wildlife and the area’s quiet atmosphere.

The neighbours are also concerned about previous indiscretions on the property, including hosting major events and developing structures like commercial kitchens without proper permits, she said.

Galvin said the commercial activity proposed by the Kaumeyers would be inconsistent with the surrounding area and she spoke out at the public hearing to ensure council heard residents’ concerns.

“We, the landowners and taxpayers, trust that council will protect this rural, agricultural lifestyle that is being threatened from all sides by disruptive, commercial, urban development,” said Galvin.

Kaumeyer could not be reached before the Western Wheel’s press deadline.

Kristi Beunder, principle with CivicWorks Planning + Design, said the neighbours had the wrong idea about the Kaumeyers’ plans. What was proposed was never intended to be a party spot, she said, but an educational facility that would operate mostly in the daylight hours.

“Other than Harvest Moon, which would be around 350 people once a year, no, we’re not talking about huge events here,” said Beunder.

Based on a traffic impact assessment, she said the number of trips per week would have been equivalent to a minor home-based business. A lot of effort was made toward having patrons arrive by bus and creating a destination spot for certain occasions rather than a facility open to the public at all hours, she said.

The intent was to make it a privilege to have the opportunity to attend a farm to table education experience, she said. The four monthly events would have seen an average of about 40 people in attendance, she said.

“It’s not a party barn,” said Beunder. “We took a lot of umbrage to that characterization of it. This is an opportunity to diversify agricultural products in this municipality, and I think in order for agriculture to diversify, council has to have vision. I feel like this was an opportunity wasted.”

She said it doesn’t make sense to deny the four monthly events if the zoning is direct control, because they would be under the jurisdiction of council and easier to enforce. If there were complaints that arose or concerns to be resolved, council could have stepped in at that point, while giving the Kaumeyers the opportunity to operate their enterprise as they envisioned.

“There’s a business diversification that needs to happen across the MD,” said Beunder. “This is just another one that unfortunately isn’t going to go in favour of business.”

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