A communication breakdown was the reason a public hearing on the land-use designations of Cochrane’s soon-to-be acquired quarter-section north of Heritage Hills was pushed to December 9.
Heritage Hill Community Association president Trent Leinenweber needed further information from Southland Transportation on their proposed development in the northwest corner of the parcel. Leinenweber told council Monday night (Nov. 25) that the association and residents are concerned with bus frequency and potential traffic congestion along Highway 1A.
Last June council adopted the Horse Creek Sports Park master site plan for the site. The plan outlines a comprehensive sports park, high school, and two maintenance yards. The yards are located at the northwest corner, 650 metres away from residences in Heritage Hills south of the quarter section.
Southland has outgrown their current bus storage yard on Griffin Rd. off River Ave. and, through consultations with the town, have been looking for a suitable property to meet their needs. They have apparently looked at 20 potential sites, but would prefer a location in Cochrane.
A traffic assessment was done for the site and determined that Horse Creek Road is able to accommodate increased traffic as Southland staggers their operations to ensure that their buses travel at off-peak times during the day.
Leinenweber said most of the neighbourhood would like to see Southland on the parcel, but they aren’t entirely clear on the bus routes. Representatives from the town met with concerned residents on Friday, Nov. 22, but a representative from Southland wasn’t available.
Leinenweber explained that the neighbourhood is sensitive to disruptions because they purposely chose to live near a quiet rural setting. He also questioned the accuracy of the traffic assessment and felt it was done prematurely as Heritage Hills and Heartland have grown substantially.
“We just want to make sure it’s done right,” Leinenweber said of the assessment.
“Before a decision is made a full investigation needs to be done. The list of unknowns is a little to much for us to sign.”
In an unprecedented move, town council decided to keep the public hearing open to allow the association and any concerned residents to meet with Southland to better understand their operational plans and proposed routes.
Southland operates 127 buses out of their current site. A representative of Southland said he doesn't anticipate further growth at this time. Leinenweber told council that he expected to see more than 1,000 buses passing through the Highway 1A-22 interchange from Monday to Friday.
In addition to increased bus traffic, the association is concerned with noise, lighting, potential parking issues along Horse Creek Road and buses potentially short-cutting through the neighbourhood.
Residents of the neighbourhood are concerned with depreciation of property, increase of theft and disruption of community character. The residents also feel that they weren’t made aware of this change when the parcel was originally annexed by the town of Cochrane from Rocky View Township.
