Last night (November 20), City Council resumed a public hearing on a land use bylaw amendment that would rezone the lot known as 309 Main Street for commercial development, and ultimately approved the rezoning.

The public hearing was a holdover from Council's last meeting on November 6. The public hearing was not adjourned at that time as Councillor's Tina Petrow and Al Jones stated a need for more time to arrive at a decision on the matter.

Council did not permit anyone to speak that voiced their support or opposition to the proposal on November 6. Since the previous meeting, the City received 59 letters of support from individuals in Airdrie, Calgary, Crossfield and Rocky View, along with 11 letters of support from local businesses. Council also received one letter in opposition to the proposal.

Once the public hearing was closed, Stephen Utz with the City's planning department clarified some points that had arisen during the previous session. Mayor Peter Brown also asked a number of questions of Utz and City Planner Karl Mielke, including topics such as the need for a traffic signal, parking for construction vehicles during development, and the construction time line.

In the end, Council unanimously approved the land use amendment while also acknowledging the concerns of neighboring residents in Old Town and expressing the importance of holding the developer accountable to address those concerns.

Dr. Kyla Miller, the applicant for the land use amendment, was ecstatic about the decision.

"Three years in the making. I can't believe that it's actually approved, but extremely thankful for the team that I have, their hard work and support. It's been a lot."

Miller believes that the development will be a positive for Airdrie, and said it fits perfectly with her vision to build up and support her community. She is also hopeful that the new development will serve as a catalyst for downtown revitalization, and she points to the number of supportive letters as evidence that most of Airdrie agrees.

"In my opinion, from the start, we have tried our very best to address whatever concerns that the neighboring residents have had to the best of our ability. I understand that for them it's emotional on a different side. I hope that we can come together and that five years down the road, when there is no construction traffic and they can see that I can be a good neighbor in the business realm, that this was all for the greater good."

Before any work can start, a building permit needs to be issued. Miller said that will take eight to twelve weeks. She also needs to consider the current tenant's lease agreement, which she says she will uphold. 

Not everyone was excited. A contingent of Old Town residents stood up and left Council Chambers at City Hall when the decision was made.

Council also approved a development permit for the proposal with some conditions. City staff recommended that the developer needs to submit a copy of a Site Servicing Plan, as well as a Construction Management Plan that addresses concerns around dust, noise, traffic, construction planning and a number of other items. Councillor Al Jones also requested a condition that once the project be completed, designated tenant parking must be assigned. That motion also passed unanimously.

 

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