Planning Hierarchy
The Municipal Government Act in Alberta details how municipalities operate and establishes the foundations for land use policies which eventually create the communities we live in. The colour coding on the left indicates the hierarchy in which these plans are established - Provincially, Regionally and Locally. These plans are statutory with the exception of a conceptual scheme which, in Rocky View County, is considered to be a non-statutory document adopted by resolution of council.
The Horse Creek Conceptual Scheme is a non-statutory document which when/if adopted by Rocky View County will guide development within the designated area.
Project Location
The Horse Creek plan area is located strategically along transportation corridors and in close proximity to an urban centre. The project utilizes the Horse Creek water and wastewater system. This system was recently acquired by Rocky View County in order to support development both inside and outside of the Hamlet. The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan requires efficient use of land when infrastructure such as piped potable water and wastewater is in place.
This site is one of the few land assets within the Cochrane North Area Structure Plan that has uninterrupted panoramic views to the west. It is important to ensure that residents of the Hamlet of Cochrane Lakes have an opportunity to walk to and enjoy a shared viewpoint and embrace that vista as much as the residents within the plan area. This connection also helps to establish the Hamlet of Cochrane Lake as the heart of the community in Cochrane North.
Project Site within the context of the Cochrane North Area Structure Plan
Project Vision
The Horse Creek community connects large portions of the areas linear trail system and has an emergency egress road that can act as an additional pathway up and down the escarpment to Horse Creek Road. The project also supports the extension of the equestrian trail network outlined in the Cochrane Lakes ASP.
The Horse Creek community supports a regional utility system and is developed as a cluster community, providing a smaller and diverse housing footprint for development and offering a high degree of open space and community amenity. The community’s organic urban design integrates the storm water system, enhancing the feeling of relaxation by celebrating water, air, land and community for overall health.
This is a signature piece of land with effortless connection to the Hamlet of Cochrane Lake and unparalleled and breathtaking views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Horse Creek Conceptual Scheme boundary is one of the few areas within the Cochrane North ASP that is directly contiguous to the Hamlet of Cochrane Lakes and commands unobstructed views to the west. This stunning vista is to be shared amongst all area residents with a common amenity space and park supporting this total community integration strategy
An extension of the Hamlet High Street to the shared westerly vantage point allows for walking and cycling into the heart of the Hamlet while allowing area residents the opportunity to access and utilize the natural open spaces supported by Horse Creek’s conservation cluster design. A major extension of the integrated trail system allows for increased health and mobility choices and continued enjoyment of the stunning views.
Project Principles
The Horse Creek Project preserves a large escarpment as perpetual open space for the benefit of current and future generations. This space provides passive recreation opportunities to area residents. Horse Creek encourages a comprehensive open space network and pathway/trail system linking residents within and outside of the neighbourhood.
The Horse Creek project respects topography, respects the necessity for all to share a common vantage point to the Bow Valley and mountains to the west, respects that connection and support of the hamlet is vital to community sustainability and respects the input of stakeholders with transparent and ongoing communication.
The Horse Creek project offers a range of housing choices of varying scales, types and densities
The Horse Creek Project promotes financial sustainability of existing utilities and provides a stormwater system that contains post-development flows and provides added amenity for residents. This project is intended to connect to a municipal piped water and waste water system.
Horse Creek introduces a series of architectural controls and landscaping controls designed to enhance the open space and promote a unified community reflecting the highest quality. The density of the project is intentional, it is there to reflect a meaningful transition from the hamlet to the outer edge of our site. Density supports the construction of all the upgrades required to facilitate proper development in this area including external road building and road upgrades and infrastructure service upgrades at the developers expense and not at the expense of the County or its ratepayers. We intend to lead infrastructure and build it, not follow or rely on the County to provide it.
The Horse Creek project provides vast open spaces, shared community view points, municipal reserve spaces, pathways and offers an emergency egress route to facilitate the overall well being of the community.
Proposed Land Use Concept
Horse Creek is a thoughtfully designed community that sensitively integrates residential development into the rural context and celebrates the natural environment. The County has identified Cochrane North as an area of growth, and Horse Creek provides strategic growth while fulfilling the objectives of the Cochrane North Area Structure Plan. The first five objectives of the Cochrane North ASP address Land Use Strategy, integration of communities within the context/environment, and provision of park and recreation space, and have guided the design for the Horse Creek Community
The Horse Creek plan area is identified as Cluster Residential and Open Space within the Cochrane North ASP. Cluster Residential is a development form which integrates single and multi-family housing typologies with the natural environment. This allows the development to maximize the number of dwellings in an area, integrate with the natural environment, and preserve significant areas by keeping development compact.
The Horse Creek Conceptual Scheme is designed to integrate with existing approved area developments such as the MacDonald group hamlet expansion. With this design, we have utilized the main street that was incorporated in the MacDonald group site and carried it forward to the west to allow for an integration of open spaces between the hamlet and the escarpment. This allows for area residents to travel freely between the main street at Cochrane Lakes and the escarpment in Horse Creek and feel like it is a seamless transition to a welcoming park, instead of just terminating the main street at its entrance to Range Road 44. We do not wish to develop a community in isolation this development project needs to integrate with its surroundings and ensure that amenity space is useable by residents within and outside of the project area.
The design of the Horse Creek ASP celebrates the natural environment by preserving the escarpment and integrating a pathway network throughout the community. The design ensures the longevity of the environment while providing residents with passive and active recreation opportunities within their own community.
What Does Density Look Like?
Density is a hot button topic when it comes to community planning. Common misconceptions are that Density means crowded, noisy, congestion. As our understanding of humans effect on the environment has evolved it’s become clear we cannot continue to use our land and resources in the same way. If we were to adhere to the current residential policy it would result in monotonous planning with little community investment.
Proposed Density
Horse Creeks innovative design is the product of increased residential density. When it comes to development it is often thought that the cost of infrastructure upgrades such as roads and utility servicing are something the County is responsible for. This is not the case. By increasing the density of Horse Creek, UrbanStar can construct required and necessary infrastructure (i.e. - upgrading and connecting areas roads, an emergency egress route and water & wastewater servicing) and provide enhanced community amenities (i.e. - the preservation of the escarpment as Environmental Reserve, quality landscaping and enhancement). These investments benefit not only the residents of Horse Creek but the County as a whole.
The proposed site plan includes a range of housing types and lot sizes for a potential total of 949 lots. This reflects a gross UPA of 3.3.
A higher community density allows UrbanStar to implement a liveable community with a variety of lots and available housing types. This aligns with the CMRB’s direction to include various place types in a development. Variety makes for vibrant communities and a differing of housing choice can provide flexible pricing for greater absorption resulting in overall increased community livability. The increased density allows for returns on investment that support the undertaking and physical construction of infrastructure upgrades. This ensures that construction takes place in a timely manner and that people are not living in ongoing construction zones. The last thing we want is for our residents and neighbours to feel like they are living in state of perpetual construction.
Community is more than the house you live in, or the streets you drive on. Investment in amenity such as, quality landscaping and open space design helps integrate the community into the surrounding environment. These investments in liveability are something Urban Star is committed to making a reality. Township Planning + Design has a proven track record of success when it comes to thoughtfully designed communities which honour their landscape. Their previous projects include the communities at Heritage Pointe, and Artesia; BILD Awards – 2018 Community of the Year. A detailed landscaping plan has been completed by Navagrah Landscape Architecture + Urban Design which addresses both the integration of the development with its surroundings and the unique spaces within that serve the community. Horse Creek has been intentionally designed to integrate with the Macdonald Groups approved 800 lot development in the Hamlet of Cochrane Lake. The design seamlessly transitions from Hamlet High Street to Welcoming Community.
Increase in density has positive results on utility systems. Water and wastewater servicing can function with higher efficiency creating greater operation cost recovery. These benefits are not limited to the Horse Creek Community but shared by all County residents and increase the likelihood of future servicing expansion.
