BARRHEAD - Town of Barrhead councillors need more information about a potential development project that the municipality is considering by partnering with a yet-to-be-disclosed Alberta development company.
That was their decision after coming out of a more than an hour Feb. 25 in-camera presentation on housing, instructing administration to conduct further research on the developer and the status of its projects and bring it back to a future council meeting.
Council held the session behind closed doors, citing Section 16(1) of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that disclosure could harm a third party's business interest.
Chief administrative officer (CAO) Colin Steffes suggested the next step would be to have administration draft a potential agreement with the company for council's consideration at a future meeting.
Coun. Rod Klumph said while impressed by the presentation, he wasn't ready to ask administration to draft an agreement.
"That is further than I would take it. It behooves us to do our due diligence," he said.
Instead, Klump suggested that council instruct administration to investigate further.
"Contact other CAOs, et cetera, to ensure what we heard corresponds to the reality," he said. "I would really like to hear from Leduc, for example, or about any other projects they have completed before I would move on an actual agreement to join a venture with this organization."
Council has previously identified the lack of affordable housing as an issue in the community.
In July, to help make a small dent in the housing shortage, council started the process to rezone six municipally-owned lots in Beaver Brook Estates from R1 to R3.
R1-residential allows for low-density housing, such as single-detached dwellings, while R3 provides various housing options, such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and rowhouses.
Councillors gave the LUB the first reading on July 9 and held the subsequent public hearing on Aug. 13. Council gave first reading to the area structure plan bylaw on Sept. 10.
However, in early December, moments before a public hearing on the area structure plan was scheduled, council announced they were shelving the plans to rezone the lots indefinitely.
A housing needs assessment study commissioned by the Barrhead and District Social Housing Association (BDSHA) in late 2023, with the results announced in the fall of 2024, also identified the need for more affordable housing options, especially for non-senior smaller households.
BHSHA is a not-for-profit association that aims to provide affordable housing options for individuals and families in Barrhead, Woodlands County, specifically the Fort Assiniboine area, Swan Hills, and Big Lakes County. The organization runs and/or manages 151 senior lodge units, 78 senior self-contained apartment units, and 16 family units. The vast majority are in Barrhead, except for six self-contained, one-bedroom suites in Fort Assiniboine and eight family single detached homes in Swan Hills.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
