A motion initiated by Couns. Morgan Nagel and Alex Reed seeking to lower densities has been broadened in scope by town council.
Initially the motion sought to lower the current eight to 10 units per acre (upa) density targets, but during Monday’s meeting council settled on broadening the scope and directed administration to look at the range of possibilities for the town to become involved with how densities are played out.
“The vast majority of us got elected on a platform of slowing down development and fixing traffic,” said Nagel, asserting that the buy-in of the town into the Calgary Regional Partnership’s (CRP) density vision has been a “disastrous social experiment for Cochrane.”
Mayor Jeff Genung clarified his position that he is not necessarily opposed to lowering the density number, but does not want the focus to be on a number – rather on how density is implemented.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t lower densities … I want to talk about densities as a whole,” explained Genung.
“Just arbitrarily lowering the number might not be the way to change how densities are applied.”
The motion to lower densities was supported by the Riverview Community Association.
“We were really disappointed,” said Gerry Ertel, president of the Riverview Community Association, adding that he was puzzled by council’s view that lowering densities would restrict housing choice.
The association penned a letter to the town in favour of the density reduction, maintaining a more suitable range would be four to six units per acre, to “make communities more livable and aligned with Cochrane values.”
The letter states: “People move to Cochrane from Calgary because we are different. We should focus on building homes and communities in Cochrane that are consistent with the values that the residents of Cochrane believe are important.”
The community association maintains that their community – which is 4.6 upa – offers a diverse range of housing options, with nearly 30 per cent of Riverview comprised of townhomes and villas.
The letter makes mention of the approval of “Cochrane number two” (Southbow Landing) and the mandated Calgary Metropolitan Growth Management Board – which could raise density targets even higher.
Part of Nagel’s motivation is because potential provincial legislation has long been a threat – one that has yet to be mandated and one that he is tired of waiting to come into effect.
Nagel maintains that lowering the density targets will reduce a significant number of the 9,505 homes already on the books – as the majority have yet to be given subdivision approvals; there are nearly an additional 2,434 dwellings that have not yet received land use.
Reed is anxious to see what can be enacted through the land use bylaw to effect how densities are implemented.
Citing the drop in assessed home values, Nagel said that lowering the densities would allow for larger lots, which would slow down building and allow the residential housing market to catch up.
Council advocated for the need to see complete communities and offer a spectrum of housing options.
