M.D. of Bighorn gives green light to Horseshoe Lands ASP

September 27 2007
For Immediate Release

Horseshoe Lands Area Structure Plan passes third reading with unanimous approval

Exshaw, AB – “Today is an historic day for the M.D. of Bighorn, the Stoney Nakoda Nation,
the partnership between Moondance Land Company Ltd. and Stoney Nakoda Developments
Ltd., the residents of Bow Valley and the people of Alberta,” says John Third, Horseshoe Lands’ Director of Marketing and Public Relations.


“The journey from developer’s concept to passing third reading by the M.D. of Bighorn has been achieved in slightly more than two years. Although much has been accomplished during this period, much more remains to be done as we move into the Concept Planning phase. We have every expectation that the evolution of this process will result in a model Alberta town that will be the envy of the province and perhaps all of Canada when it is completed in the coming decades.”


Third explained that dedicated and passionate participants at all levels and a transparent and co-operative process were instrumental in moving the Horseshoe Lands ASP to the next stage.

“I know that following second reading, we as developers worked closely with M.D. of Bighorn to resolve more than 80 large and small changes to the ASP.  We also reviewed some 200 comments from individual parties and stakeholders. In the end, collectively we resolved the issues.” 

Third also cited UMA Engineering Ltd. and Gartner Lee Limited (Environmental Services) for their outstanding professional engineering, planning and consulting services provided throughout the ASP approval process.  

“The spirit of co-operation and openness surrounding the ASP has been there from the beginning,” explains Third.  “As an example, the three chiefs from Stoney Nakoda Nation set the tone when they met with M.D. of Bighorn to demonstrate their
willingness to work with the M.D. Council to move the project forward. As well, the M.D. of Bighorn’s councillors and administration have worked tirelessly from the outset to ensure the process was conducted openly and fairly for all parties concerned. Today, I believe that the M.D. of Bighorn should be very proud of the fact that they spearheaded a process that has resulted in a ‘living, breathing blueprint’.

While it will take decades to complete the process, the M.D. of Bighorn as stewards of the ASP have an opportunity to raise the bar and set a new standard for how to create a model community employing the latest technologies and innovative processes not previously implemented.”

Third also noted that the developers remain committed to building a mountain community that accommodates residential, retail, commercial and light industrial land use in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable manner. “Over
the life of the project we will remain vigilant and proactive surrounding issues related to the environment, fiscal sustainability, housing, and water.”

Regarding next steps, Third explained that the project now moves into the Conceptual Planning and re-zoning phase. “This stage is designed to provide greater detail on land use and servicing of the various sub-areas within the ASP.  This can vary from details of sanitation, fire protection, and traffic management to the layout of street, sidewalk, trail and park locations. As we build out, there will be a number of Concept Plans brought before the M.D. of Bighorn. Once the Concept Plans are approved, we will then move into the Subdivision Plan, the fourth stage of a seven-step process.”

 
About Horseshoe Lands Area Structure Plan

The Horseshoe Lands Area Structure Plan calls for the development of a residential community about the size of a small Alberta town, which will be located north of the Trans Canada Highway and Kananaskis Highway #40, interchange. The vision is to build a model Alberta mountain community that accommodates residential, retail and commercial land use in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable manner. The Horseshoe Lands development is a partnership between Moondance Land Company Ltd. and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd., a wholly owned company of the Stoney Nakoda Nation. www.horseshoelands.ca

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For further information, please contact:
Mr. John Third, Horseshoe Lands, Director of Marketing and Public Relations (403) 609-1211