New developments in the southwest corner of Airdrie mean that the city will continue to grow in size and population.

Stephen Utz, Community Growth Manager with the City of Airdrie, says Neighbourhood Structure Plans (NSP) have recently been adopted for three new communities in the southwest. South Point sits south of Morning Side near the QEII, and will have commercial and residential development. Cobblestone Creek sits west of Windsong, and Chinook Gate sits west of Prairie Springs and south of Bayside. Cobblestone Creek was also the subject of an amended land use bylaw at City Council's most recent meeting on July 4.

"Those land use amendments provided land use districting for portions of the adopted neighbourhood structure plan," said Utz. "What that means is it is now possible for the developer or developers to come in with their subdivision applications and prepare applications that would allow individual lots and then their home building and commercial building to begin."

Utz said the boundary for each NSP is typical one quarter section of land, and the population is usually 3,000 to 3,500 people.

"Cobblestone has a population that's anticipated to be about that much. Chinook Gate is a little bit less because the area is less than 160 acres, which is the typical quarter section size, and South Point residential is only about 80."

Estimates put the population for South Point at 1,608, and for Chinook Gate at 2,269. All told, those three developments could add 7,090 new residents to the city. That area is also the site of the Cooperstown Plaza and 40th Avenue West, both ongoing construction projects. Add to that continuing development of both Hillcrest and South Windsong, and it's easy to see that the southwest corner of the city is growing rapidly.

When asked if the southwest is the fastest growing area of the City, Utz gave the following response.

"I believe there's some more information that is going to come out within census. Certainly there is a series of land there that have recently received neighbourhood structure plan approval, and so those are the lands within the pre-annexation boundary that are currently being developed."

Utz said that a report taken to Council last November estimates that the area has approximately eight to ten years of land supply, meaning development could continue for some time.

 

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