2017 Project Highlights
We’re proud of the innovative and diverse projects we’ve helped bring to life and get approved this year. We’d love to share them all, but here are a few projects at a glance that B&A has managed and delivered on this year.
1.0 — City of Moose Jaw Downtown Local Area Plan
2.0 — Bridgeport Outline Plan
3.0 — Chuka Creek Business Park
4.0 — Parkland County Technical Growth Study & MDP
5.0 — South Macleod Centre Regional Commercial Site
1.0 City of Moose Jaw Downtown Local Area Plan Creates Vibrant Vision for the City’s Core
The City of Moose Jaw identified the need to create and adopt a comprehensive Downtown Local Area Plan (DLAP) with a focus on implementable action items in the short, medium and long-term.
The B&A team, along with a broader group of sub-consultants, prepared the DLAP which included project management, urban planning and design, heritage planning and community engagement. The Plan’s vision began with analysis of the existing physical and social structure (strengths and weaknesses) of the downtown and a field trip to engage administration, Council and key stakeholders.
This work laid the foundation for a five day design charrette whereby the downtown residents, businesses, heritage and cultural groups, economic and tourism groups, and users of the downtown area were engaged; their ideas were collected and illustrated in a downtown storefront. After the charrette a presentation was made to the community of the accumulated and evolved ideas and thoughts. Those ideas were incorporated into a draft Plan that was shared with the community and further refined for Council approval.
Downtown Moose Jaw also has a significant number of heritage buildings that was part of a previous Main Street Program. B&A’s work on the project included the development of policy and guidelines to preserve and enhance the historic character of the community while providing the implementation tools for infill and new development.
On November 27, 2017, The DLAP was approved by City Council and will support the development of a vibrant, revitalized downtown core.
2.0 BridgePort Outline Plan Receives Stamp of Approval
On September 5, 2017, City of Chestermere Council approved the Outline Plan for WestCreek Development’s BridgePort project – the largest and most significant project in the City’s history.
This 650-acre development will be built in 32 phases over 25 years and will feature innovative residential areas such as a town centre, cottage housing, a high street, vertical mixed use, and live-work uses.
Chris Andrew, community planner at B&A Planning Group, says,
“This project is really unique because it includes three residential land use districts: a place to work from home where residential properties are designed with designated office spaces, apartments with ground floor retail, and cottage-style housing in an effort to accommodate seniors.”
Chris explained that B&A has been involved in the project from conceptual design to project approval and believes that the final plan delivers on the City’s goal to provide sustainable development over the next 25 years in a way that respects Chestermere’s lakeside community charm and character.
Once built, Bridgeport will span from the west side of Chestermere to the edge of Calgary and will include:
- Housing for as many as 14,000 new residents;
- The BridgePort commercial Town Centre and High Street;
- A variety of parks and linear pathways totalling 64 acres;
Three schools; and - A waterfront promenade incorporated into a retained natural wetland.
“The next step for WestCreek Development is to apply for a subdivision approval so that construction can begin,” Chris says. “This is a really exciting and important project for B&A and WestCreek and we are pleased to have been a part of it and to be able to shape the future of Chestermere.”
If all goes to plan, construction for phase one is expected to begin in the next few years.
3.0 Chuka Creek Business Park to Stimulate New Economic Growth
In September 2017, The Chuka Creek Business Park (CCBP) Concept Plan application received unanimous approved by the City of Regina Council. The proposed CCBP is located in the southeast sector of the City of Regina. Situated between the Regina Bypass and the eastern city limits. The CCBP lands have been identified for “Light and Medium Industrial” and “Prestige Industrial” uses within the Southeast Regina Neighbourhood Plan (SENP).
The CCBP is envisioned to be a major employment hub within southeast Regina. The plan area will include a range of industrial uses complimenting existing development and will provide a variety of facilities and services that will support the creation of approximately 2,200 jobs. This industrial employment hub will help create a complete community in southeast Regina, where residents can work directly in their community.
The CCBP area will transition from Prestige Industrial uses in the southern portion of the business park to Light and Medium Industrial uses that range in size and operation in the northern portion. The Secondary Gateway treatment at the entrance to the Prestige Industrial area will create a sense of place and welcome visitors to the employment area. Development within the CCBP will acknowledge the interface with the Bypass and Arcola Avenue and establish compatible edge conditions through careful attention to site design, architectural treatment, landscaping and signage details. Diverse industrial development will provide long-term benefits to the city and careful attention to visual character and design will help additional investment throughout the plan area.
B&A Planning Group implemented a comprehensive engagement approach to develop the plan including one-on-one, small format and large format sessions with adjacent landowners, stakeholder groups and the public.
4.0 Parkland County Technical Growth Study & Municipal Development Plan
In September 2017, the Parkland County Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was approved. B&A began the project in January 2017 and worked together with Parkland County Council, administration and the community to update the Parkland County MDP. The result was a 30-year plan with a 50-year vision for the County that is built on their goal to be “one Parkland, powerfully connected.”
With a population of 32,097 (in 2016) covering 242,595 hectares, Parkland County offers an assortment of farming properties, country residential acreages and small and large businesses and employment areas. The policies of the MDP support a balanced approach to economic development, natural systems and agricultural protection coordinated with infrastructure and transportation systems. The goal of the Plan’s development concept is to create a more environmentally, socially and fiscally sustainable growth pattern within the County by clustering development in key areas while respecting and maintaining the role of agriculture.
Parkland’s MDP reflects the policy context of the Edmonton area and supports the pillars of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Growth Plan while recognizing the unique nature of Parkland County as a rural municipality in a growing area.
The plan development was supported by comprehensive and thoughtful engagement approaches including internal and external workshops and open houses.
5.0 South Macleod Centre – Regional Commercial Centre in The Heart of Legacy and Walden
On September 12, 2017, City of Calgary Council approved the West Macleod Centre Area Structure Plan and land use redesignation for Royop’s mixed use regional centre in South Macleod. The South Macleod Centre (SMC) is the “heart” of the Legacy and Walden Communities, serving as the Town Centre. The proposed plan will bring 400,000 square feet of amenities to South Macleod in the near term and 800,000 square feet of commercial in the long term along with 800 multi-residential dwellings and a potential 300 room hotel.
B&A worked closely with Royop and City Administration on a concept that will provide the much needed daily needs amenities for the communities and ultimately a vibrant mixed use core once available infrastructure is in place.
The plan combines large and small format uses around the central mixed use village core. Mixed use residential will be desired once commercial has been established surrounding the core. In addition, Royop’s goal is an enhanced pedestrian experience with an interconnected network of pedestrian places and space. The quality of the grid street network, wide sidewalks and boulevards creates a public realm users will enjoy. With the approved ASP, a large pedestrian promenade is centrally located within Stage 2. In addition, the plan includes a number of urban pedestrian spaces, strategically placed throughout Stage 1, and a small plaza located near the future Main Street and Grocery.
