MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Following months of work by a multi-stakeholder steering committee, the proposed new Sundre Airport concept plan has received first reading and a public hearing has been set for September.
The moves came by way of motions at the Aug. 13 regularly-scheduled council meeting
The proposed plan provides guidance on possible future land uses within each of the six quarter-sections within the plan area.
The county-owned airport is located about a kilometre southwest of Sundre in the McDougal Flats area.
The recently approved South McDougall Flats area structure plan requires a separate concept plan for the airport.
Council approved development of the plan in August 2024 and adopted the terms of reference in September 2024. If approved, the concept plan would be included in the area structure plan.
The steering committee is made up of county councillors, a representative from the Town of Sundre, three public members, and members of the aviation advisory committee.
Key components of the plan include federal aviation regulations and municipal regulations, surrounding land uses and environmental considerations, existing aggregate resources, future land use concepts, future proposed land use bylaw amendments, and registered aerodrome status.
The plan provides the guidance on possible future land uses within the plan area:
• NW 29-32-5-5 (Sundre Airport lands): Future use of these lands support opportunities for the Sundre Airport to expand through four separate phases when the need for additional space is required.
• SW 32-32-5-5 & SE 32-32-5-5 (quarters north of airport): These two quarters along the northerly portion of the concept plan area are currently supporting aggregate extraction operations.
Once operations are complete and the sites are reclaimed, the concept plan supports opportunities for future business park development (mirroring the use of the lands immediately to the north of this area) or recreational uses for the public, such as baseball diamonds.
Potential future uses following aggregate extraction operations, however, must be compatible with the airport. Connectivity to the east portions of the airport should also be considered when planning future uses of these quarters.
Any potential future plans for lands within these two quarters will require their own dedicated concept plan, which will be presented to council through a public hearing process.
• SW 29-32-5-5 (lands south of Sundre Airport): This quarter is completely within the floodway of the Red Deer River and also contains environmentally significant areas.
The concept plan aims to protect these lands from development and may only allow for passive recreational uses, which may allow for some low impact, non-motorized activities that require minimal development and where the importance of the environment is greater than in an active recreational setting.
• SE 29-32-5-5 & NE 29-32-5-5 (lands east and southeast of Sundre Airport): A portion of the lands within the southeast corner of the concept plan area is within the floodway of the river. Mirroring the land use policies within SW 29-32-5-5, these flood-prone lands are intended to only support passive recreation.
• The policies for the lands within both the SE and NE of 29-32-5-5 that are outside of the floodway aim to limit development to ensure the opportunities for future aggregate extraction are protected.
If any aggregate extraction were to proceed at some point in the future, approvals would first need to be obtained for redesignation through a public hearing process followed by any other necessary provincial and municipal approvals before any aggregate extraction operation could proceed.
The public hearing will be held in council chambers on Sept. 10 at or after 1 p.m.
The complete proposed plan is available for viewing on the county’s website.
