M.D. tables decision on campground, brewery

By Rob Vogt, Local Press Writer
The council of the Municipal District of Willow Creek has postponed making a decision on re-zoning land west of Claresholm to make way for a campground, RV park and micro-brewery, until its next meeting on March 24.
At its March 10 meeting, council held a public hearing on an application by Adham Jaber to re-zone 16.58 acres at NE-23-12-28-4 about five miles west of Claresholm from rural general to rural commercial to allow for a development application for the recreational vehicle park, campground, and brewery.
Cindy Chisholm, the M.D.’s manager of planning and development, explained the site is the former Town of Claresholm water treatment plant accessed by Highway 520 and Township Road 124 that fragment the parcel into north and south portions.
She also noted the region has some significant species and the area is near a flood plain. In fact, in the 2014 flood nearby Willow Creek breached its banks and the subject lands experienced flooding.
Mike Burla, the M.D.’s planner with the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, said the land has to be re-zoned before a development permit application can be submitted and stressed the public hearing was to take in information and not debate.
Jaber was present and explained his application.
He said when he saw the property, he saw the beauty and purchased it for his family to enjoy. He also sees it as an attraction for other people to see.
He looked at the existing buildings which gave him the idea to look at creating a boutique retreat. It would include a micro-brewery and entertainment for families on the north side of the road with RV camping on the south side of the property. People could enjoy the area and it would bring traffic through town.
Jaber understood the concern the development would be seen as a party area, which is not the intent.
“It is meant to be a family retreat,” he said. “It is by no means meant to be a party ground.”
He wants to respect the environment, wildlife and the neighbours.
Jaber has heard a number of complaints about the development increasing the risk of fire, trespassing on neighbour lands, traffic, and drinking and driving.
“These are all valid concerns we are giving a lot of thought to,” he said, and coming up with solutions.
He was asking for help from the neighbours to come up with solutions.
“We’ve already come up with some pretty good ideas to mitigate some of the concerns,” Jaber said.
A big concern is fires and Jaber said they are taking measures to limit the campfires in the campground to propane fire pits rather than wood.
“We’re willing to make these compromises,” he said, to address these concerns. “We are adjusting as we go.”
Jaber is also coming up with means to address pedestrian traffic such as better fencing, barriers, signage and guidelines of what is allowed.
“It’s a matter of educating people,” he said.
Jaber said the environment is important to him.
“We are nature lovers,” he said, so there will be strict rules of what can and cannot be done in the Willow Creek basin. “We are sincere.”
They do not want to rock the boat and want people to enjoy the area.
“I really think we can make this work,” Jaber said. “We are trying to adopt the best practices.”
He added he and his family, who he brought to the meeting, live next to a campground outside Okotoks and have never had trespassers.
“They run a tight ship and I think we can run a tight ship,” he said.
Coun. Glen Alm said the bed and shore of the creek belong to the Crown and he was nor sure people could freely cross under the nearby bridge as was being proposed as part of the development.
Jaber said he would abide by all Alberta government guidelines. He added it would not be all the time but when water conditions permitted. It would be one of two crossings between the two sides of the property, and proper signage is needed so people know it’s a crossing.
Alm asked if Jaber has measured the sight lines from the approaches to ensure visibility for motorists of the road, and Jaber responded he will look into that further.
Alm also said that, based on the 2014 flood, it looks like some of the flood water would cover some of the sites and infrastructure.
Jaber replied there are no planned permanent structures in those areas and on the campground side there are no campsites that low to be affected by flooding.
Andy Hart owns land south and east of the proposed development and expressed a concern it was a small area for campers. It would be natural for them to look over the fence to his place because there is no room on the development to accommodate hiking.
He said fencing is easy to contain livestock, but different to contain people. Chainlike fence doesn’t work for that and he was not sure how to build a fence to prevent trespassing.
His biggest concerns are the resulting garbage and negative interactions between his livestock and off-leash dogs, and the careless disposal of smoking materials coupled with wind, drought, low humidity and a high fuel load to create fires.
He also feared, as a ratepayer, the potential liability for the M.D. with a road dividing that property.
Jackie Chalmers owns land north of the proposed development.
She pointed out there have been seven flood events in the Willow Creek drainage basin in 20 years with five being major. She was concerned about the impact the development would have on the erosion of the banks, the quality of water and what effect it would have on flows.
Chalmers was also concerned about trespassers, the beauty of the area being compromised, the threat of fire, there being ecologically sensitive areas with species at risk, and the proposal just not fitting the area.
Stuart Derochie owns land north and east of the proposed development and was against it.
He was concerned about grassfires, something he personally saw in that area and had to deal with. He was concerned about liability and the potential for campers to be shocked by electric fences designed to keep cattle penned in, to be hit crossing the road, and inadvertently starting fires with cigarette butts.
Derochie was concerned about trespassing and fencing and the effect of campers and off-leash dogs on the neighbouring operations.
He was concerned about limited visibility on the road increasing the chance of an accident. There would also be an increase in traffic on a road with no shoulders, increased dust, and deterioration to the road.
The environmental impact was another concern with the potential contamination of Willow Creek, grass, and air as well as wildlife that travels up and down the creek.
Finally, he was concerned about the impact on the quality of life of the neighbours who will be on constant watch for people staying away from cattle, throwing away their cigarette butts and starting fires, and more.
The applicant is not making his home on the property, which Derochie said was his choice, but the neighbours have no choice but to fight.
“Please do not re-designate the land,” he concluded.
Rod Brunes, another neighbour, said he too was concerned about increased traffic increasing dust and degrading the road.
He also asked about water usage from the west waterline. It was built for nine families so he wondered what the impact of this development would be on that.
“I respect everything that’s been presented here,” Jaber said, adding he would like to address the concerns and find solutions. “I believe it is beneficial for the region.”
He wants to do it right, he said.
“I hope we can work together,” he added.
Alm asked what the plan was for water.
Jaber responded he has access to 80 cubic metres a month, or 80,000 litres, which he feels is sufficient. Campsites would use non-potable water from a well on site. The brewery cannot use chlorinated water, because it would kill the fermenting yeast. The plan there is to use reverse osmosis with the water in the area.
Brunes observed the water is quite a bit less than Jaber described.
Reeve Maryanne Sandberg said these details would be dealt with at the development permit stage of the process.
Derochie asked if there are 55 campsites for 2021, but no water until 2022 as Jaber indicated, then where was the water coming from.
Jaber responded his approach would be phased because it is not easy to develop all the features at once. The sites would be unserviced to start.
Sandberg asked how Jaber would address the line of sight for drivers coming down to the hill toward the development.
He replied he will look at signage as well as lighting for vehicles and crosswalks.
With that the hearing was closed.
Later in the meeting, council agreed to postpone making a decision on the application until its next meeting on March 24.