Joint message from Alderman Diane Colley-Urquhart and Shawnee-Evergreen Community Association (SECA) President Gloria Dingwall

We want to take this opportunity before the summer break, to bring you up-to-date on the latest information regarding the re-zoning application for the Shaw-Nee Slopes Golf Course. The news is encouraging.

As you know, the City of Calgary planning department received Geo-Energy’s application to rezone Shaw-Nee Slopes Golf Course for residential and commercial redevelopment in November 2009. The Applicant had to do further work on the application before it was complete and the City in turn undertook a mail out in May 2010 to seek community feedback. Alderman Diane co-hosted an Open House in mid-June with over 450 people attending. This strong ongoing community support is appreciated and important.

In late June, City Administration provided AECOM (Geo-Energy’s planning/engineering firm) with the first round of formal feedback on their application. We have reviewed this extensive and comprehensive document and are very pleased with its level of detail. The 23 page Detailed Team Response (DTR) from City Administration, lists 156 items that must be addressed to the City’s satisfaction in written form before the application can move forward. This does not include comments/requirements about traffic both within, and outside, of the proposed development which are yet to come. It is clear from Administration’s response that all of the community concerns are justified and have been heard.

The plans we have seen to date have left many unanswered questions, and raises even more.

The City’s feedback essentially sends the Applicant “back to the drawing board.” There are major concerns such as, but not limited to: open space, placement of homes, roads that cut through wetlands, density, and proximity to Fish Creek Park. The applicant is also required to do additional studies.
The bottom line is that this list will require the developer to invest a great deal of additional time and money to address all 156 items. The DTR will certainly influence Geo-Energy’s next steps.
City Administration must give every applicant the opportunity to respond and comply with all applicable standards, only then do they look at the proposal in terms of its impact on the community and how it fits within the larger Area Structure Plan. After that, City Administration makes a recommendation to the City Planning Commission, who makes a technical recommendation to Council. A Public Hearing of Council is then held whereby any resident can come forward to speak in favour or against the application.

The ball is in Geo-Energy’s court for now, and the work to be done is considerable. In the meantime, the Shawnee-Evergreen Community Association is continuing to fight the application on all fronts.

In conclusion, we’d like to thank the 400+ residents who took the time to email or write the City with their feedback and the 385 residents who attended the City’s Open House. The comments and concerns raised by the community were reflected in the City’s Detailed Team Response. Your input makes a difference.

Sincerely,

Diane Colley-Urquhart
Alderman, Ward 13

Gloria Dingwall
President, Shawnee-Evergreen Community Association