Alberta’s Mountain View county’s subdivision appeals board (SDAB) has rejected an appeal of an earlier municipal planning commission’s (MPC) approval of a development permit allowing the expansion of a campsite northeast of Sundre, a report said.
The board’s October 5 decision came after an appeal hearing held on September 23.
In August, the MPC accepted an application submitted by Forest Heights Golf and County Club for the development permit to create an outdoor resort with additional five RV sites in the present 20-site campsite in the Eagle Valley rural neighborhood.
An appeal notice to the permit was submitted on August 25 by the appellants Douglas McCullough and Frank Greif.
In denying the appeal, the SDAB cited 17 reasons for its decision, including the following:
• The board accepts the submission from the respondent that the proposed development was evaluated against the requirements for a recreational resort contained within Mountain View County Bylaw 16/18 and determined that the proposed development satisfied those requirements listed within the bylaw.
• The board determined that the proposed development with associated 100-foot setback from the Eagle Valley Cemetery is an acceptable discretionary use within the parks and recreation district and did not receive information as to how the additional lots requested provided a material change on the impact on the operations of the Eagle Valley Cemetery compared to the developments existing on the lands.
• The board determined that the proposed development complies with the regulations as outlined within Mountain View County Bylaw 20/20 “Municipal Development Plan”.
• While the board accepts that the lengthy history associated to development on the lands has impacted landowners in the area and appreciates the struggles that were presented by the appellant relative to past compliance, the board is required to review the proposed development on its own merits and did not receive satisfactory evidence as to how the proposed development would negatively impact adjacent landowners.
• The board determined that there is a satisfactory complaint-based policy in place by Mountain View County to deal with any issues rising from non-compliance of development permit conditions which are available to the appellant if they are not satisfied with the resolution of previous permit conditions.
Just wanted to share that the Mountain View County’s subdivision appeals board denied the appeal for the campsite expansion near Sundre. They really took into account the environment and community impact. It’s interesting to think about how this decision could shape the future of Forest Heights Campground!