Green space in four quadrants, interconnected paved trails and a district commercial centre are part of Red Deer’s future on the east side.
On Monday, city council adopted the Timber Ridge Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan which encompasses the quarter section next to 55th Street, north of Rosedale neighbourhood and east of Timberstone Park neighourhood.
The new neighbourhood features a mix of single family and multi-family homes with space for a middle public school, a pedestrian network of paved trails, a community gathering area and other features.
Coun. Tara Veer said overall it’s a good plan with a lot of housing options for the community, park space and trail linkages but she had some reservations about the amount of commercial space prescribed for the developers.
“We have to make sure that we are competitive on a regional basis and if we are approving commercial development that they will succeed,” said Veer.
“I think it is important that we meet market demand but not provide so much that we actually soften our local commercial market. I think we need to watch it and be mindful of it.”
Veer had also expressed reservations about the location of the commercial area after speaking with local realtors who were concerned the area is not near a main road entrance.
“Because this particular commercial site falls mid-block there’s some hesitation whether it will be picked up for some commercial site,” said Veer.
“I think we need to be mindful in the future that we have great access and great visibility for when we are placing expectation that commercial will transpire.”
The plan calls for a construction of Highway 20, a new expressway, along the eastern boundary of Timber Ridge in 2022.
The road will function as part of a ring road around the east side of Red Deer. At first the lane will be developed with two lanes but could eventually be upgraded to six lanes.
Two collector roads will link the local roads to the rest of the city. Where the two roads intersect, a roundabout will be constructed.
Senior city planner Jordan Furness said this is a little out of the box for the neighbourhood because four-way stops are not generally built within neighbourhoods. He said the roundabout will partly help with traffic flow and act as a traffic calmer.
Furness said the design encourages walkability by creating interconnected network of trails and sidewalks.
City council gave third readings to the East Hill Major Area Structure Plan bylaw amendment and the Timber Ridge Neighourhood Area Structure Plan bylaw on Monday. The area will be developed in nine phases. Applicant for the first phase subdivision is expected to be filed to municipal planning commission this week.
In other council news:
* City council agreed to submit a letter of intent to host the 2015 Alberta 55+ Summer Games in 2015. The games, held every two years, feature more than 1,100 participants in 14 different sports including military whist, cycling, bocce, creative writing and horseshoes. Meanwhile, the City is eyeing the chance to host the Canada Winter Games in 2019.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com