Visitor Centre open through Christmas
Based on the perceived success of the Cochrane Visitors Centre since its June 8 opening, council approved administration’s recommendation to keep the centre open through the remainder of 2016.
Located at 521 First Street West, the centre (which includes public bathrooms) will see a budget adjustment of $20,000 to facilitate full time operations – with funds to be allocated from business license revenues.
The estimated cost to have an on-site staff member 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week from September to December is $18,100.
Only Coun. Morgan Nagel voted against the motion, stipulating that Cochrane needs to focus on scaling back expenditures and not “paying for someone to supervise a bathroom full time.”
Mike Korman, economic development manager for the town, said administration is exploring future partnerships for full utilization of the space and considering the possibility of conducting open houses and info sessions at the location.
He added that the one-year lease the town has for the space rental means monthly rent premiums will be paid, regardless of whether the space is open or not and that this was a great way to support Historic Main Street businesses through the Christmas season.
Landscaping multi-family residential
Council passed a bylaw that will guide the landscaping requirements for multi-family residential developments, adjusting administration’s proposed percentages to include a minimum component.
Bylaw 18/2016 will require a sod component of a minimum of 50 per cent, up to 70 per cent with the balance to be a component of xeriscaping and/or hardscaping.
The intention of the bylaw is to provide flexible landscaping options to multi-family developments while “mitigating the potential for perceived unsightly landscaping in multi-family developments”.
Heritage Hills land use re-designation; 1,000 more homes
Council voted 4-3 in favour of adopting a land use amendment to further the development of Heritage Hills Stage 2 (roughly 1,000 homes), with the added stipulation that the developer be required to build the undeveloped south half, two full lanes, of RR 262.
Councillors Mary Lou Eckmeier, Tara McFadden and Morgan Nagel all voted in opposition, citing concerns over increased pressures on the Highway 1A/22 intersection, as well as the potential traffic concerns that could result over the increased use of the intersection at RR 43 and Highway 22 (opposite of the RancheHouse exit).
Coun. Jeff Toews, who voted in favour of the amendment, felt that opening up the RR 262 would alleviate pressures at the intersection.
Contrary to Eckmeier’s concerns that future construction at the 1A/22 intersection would cause more traffic backlog with the added use of RR 262, Toews said he felt this would provide a logical alternative for those living in the community to head south on Highway 22 (where the least amount of pressure is added onto the intersection) or bypass the intersection altogether by taking northern back roads to Calgary.
More space between houses
A public hearing is set for Sept. 26 in council chambers on the proposed increase in side-yard setbacks in single-family residential developments.
Through the 2014 Cochrane Community Enhancement notice of motion brought forth by councillors Gaynor Levisky and Jeff Toews in 2014 (adopted as the Community Enhancement Evaluation), one of the directions given to administration was to created side-yard setbacks by one foot (from 1.2m to 1.5m).
The motion was viewed with enthusiasm by all of council.
Community Enhancement Evaluation (matrix) adopted
What began as a notice of motion by Couns. Gaynor Levisky and Toews two years ago has evolved into a guiding tool for future development in Cochrane in a joint effort to improve the quality of life for residents and hold developers more accountable.
Council unanimously approved the motion for council to incorporate this evaluation into Cochrane’s sustainability matrix, with an added amendment proposed by Nagel to revisit the adoption in one year.
This matrix would be applied at the Area Structure Plan and Neighbourhood Plan level and would work as a pre-application step for proposed developments, as a measure to ensure plans are aligned with the town’s higher level goals from the start.
“I love this document because it’s the strategic piece we were in need of,” remarked Levisky.
One more vacancy for public-at-large committee member
Council is seeking to fill one remaining public-at-large vacancy for the Mayor and Council Remuneration Task Force. Annie Jacobs, Jacquie Matechuk and
Daniel Richter were the three elected members.
Other business
Council approved a notice of motion to form a new architectural design review committee and to review and update the Western Heritage Design guidelines to provide amendments to Bylaw 01/2004.
Council appointed Riley Welden and Kemi Apanisile as development officers for the town.
The town appointed MNP LLP as municipal auditor for the fiscal years 2017-2021. The current auditor is PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC).
