A development consultant accused Red Deer County of raising unwarranted concerns about a nearby industrial development to justify a recommendation to reject a proposed housing development near Sylvan Lake.
Ken Penney of Planned Environmental Associates said on Tuesday that the county has suggested that because of the potential health risk, further housing is not compatible with CFR Chemicals, which is located in Kuusamo Industrial Park, less than 1.6 km west.
However, the county identified no risks when CFR’s site was zoned light industrial in 2004, and upgraded to medium industrial in 2008, he said during a public hearing on the Kuusamo Lakes Area Structure Plan.
Penney doesn’t believe the nearby industrial site is a risk and should not be used as a reason for recommending rejection of the proposed plan for the development featuring 116 country residential lots, condominium and commercial sites.
“We’ve never believed that,” he said. “We’ve sat through the public hearings, we’ve asked our questions, we’ve had the assurances from Red Deer County before. It’s not new to us,” he said following the hearing.
“If we’re using it to stop development or limit development, that’s a big deal. That’s not right.”
Penney said he has formally complained to the provincial Departments of Environment and Municipal Affairs about the county’s handling of the application.
The company has a simple storage business that can be found in many other places around the county, he said.
“We’re willing to work with the county but we need to get this resolved first.”
In a report to council, county planning staff said CFR had no concerns with the housing development proposed by Rod and Bev Martin as long as it did not impede the company’s ability to expand its operations. The company, which provides chemicals for industrial and mechanical companies and the oilpatch, plans to expand by adding a 40,000-square-foot building and additional storage tanks.
However, a number of other concerns have been raised about the project.
Deb Bonnett, the county’s economic development manager, said Alberta Transportation won’t give the area structure plan its approval until questions have been answered about how traffic will be handled.
Adjacent landowners have also expressed concerns about the size of the development, the loss of prime farmland, increased traffic and the impact on available water resources. The Town of Sylvan Lake, which relies on well water, also sought assurances that enough water was available.
Councillor Jim Wood said there were enough questions raised that second reading of the area structure plan should be postponed. He noted the planning report refers to CFR as being both heavy industrial and medium industrial and Wood wanted that clarified.
Mayor Earl Kinsella said following the meeting that there was little he could say about the issues raised because council postponed a decision.
Kinsella said it will likely come back in about a month.
“There were enough statements made that council was a little hesitant about continuing on until they looked at it further.”
Penney agreed it’s time to take a step back.
“I think it’s the only option. I think we’ve come to an impasse. We’re not talking about the merits and quality of the development anymore.”
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com