A potential project that would include highway commercial, food, hotel, a rest area, tourist information and a regional transit park-and-ride was proposed for development along Highway 1 near the Highway 22 interchange.
Rocky View County’s (RVC) Policy and Priorities Committee (PPC) was presented with information about the potential commercial project during a Nov. 4 meeting, but no applications have been made to RVC at this time. Alberta Transportation’s plans to add a ring road to the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 22 would remove direct Trans-Canada access to the Petro-Canada station currently located near the intersection.
Area landowner Marshall Copithorne, president and owner of CL Ranches Ltd., said he doesn’t want to lose the “community centre” the rest stop provides.
“We have meetings there, we have lunches there, we visit with neighbours there,” he said. “It’s a networking spot for our community.”
Together with Bordeaux Developments, who are also involved with the Harmony project in Springbank, Copithorne has developed a “gateway vision” to create a new hub, located only about 2.5 kilometre (km) west of the gas station’s current location.
The Trans-Canada Gateway Centre would be a “world-class” rest stop, providing commercial, tourism, and economic development opportunities to the county, according to Copithorne.
“Our goal is to preserve the history, landscape, and culture of this neighbourhood and county,” he said. “The folks who visit the Gateway as we envision it, won’t leave without knowing Alberta’s proud and historic beginnings. They will leave rested, enriched, full of gas and great memories.”
Bordeaux Developments president and CEO Birol Fisekci said the new development would provide plenty of commercial opportunities to RVC, and would offer more than basic amenities to the area. He said they are looking to develop new partners and create more cultural and tourism opportunities for the site.
A situational review for the site has been completed, which included a submission to Alberta Transportation requesting direct access to the Trans-Canada, as well as a preliminary servicing strategy.
The next step, said Fisekci, is to work collaboratively with the county to finalize applications, which he said, “will occur with comprehensive community outreach and engagement,” however, no dates have been set at this time.
According to Alberta Transportation, the interchange at Highway 22 is unlikely to be upgraded for another 10 years, and while the rest stop would be accessible to both east- and west-bound traffic, the proposal provides no way for pedestrians or vehicles to cross the highway.
