Frequently Asked Questions - Horseshoe Lands

What are Horseshoe Lands’ key milestones to date?

• 2003: Land acquisition
• Nov. 2006: Cooperative Draft Area Structure Plan (ASP)
  
• Dec. 12, 2006: First Reading of ASP passed
• March 1st and 5th, 2007: Public Hearings
• June 12th, 2007: Second Reading  of ASP passed
• September 27th, 2007: Third Reading of ASP passed

 

What is the timing for the Horseshoe Lands development?
Here is where we are at:  On September 27th, 2007 we received unanimous approval for the Area Structure Plan (ASP) from the Municipal District of Bighorn. We anticipate having product for sale late 2008 or early 2009.

 

Where did the name Horseshoe Lands come from?
 The name is a descriptive one reflecting the shape of the valley. Horseshoe Dam was first chronicled by David Thompson in the early 1800s. He and his group set-up camp at Horseshoe Falls.

 

Will the land be freehold or leasehold?
This land is presently fee simple title (or freehold title) and will be sold as fee simple title.

 

Is anyone able to purchase land here?
Yes.  There will be a priority given to people living and working in the region.

 

How did the Horseshoe Lands project start and how did it evolve into what exists today?
In 2002, TransAlta put up the lands for sale. The municipal district worked with TransAlta on defining the lands within municipal land for future residential development.

Why do we need Horseshoe Lands?
There has been encouragement from the municipal district of Bighorn to develop these lands. What we are proposing is primarily a housing development. There is a need in the Bow Valley for more housing than what is available “up valley”. There is a primary housing shortage.

 

How big are the Horseshoe Lands and where are they located?
Horseshoe Lands consist of 538 acres. They are located in the south-central region of the municipal district of Bighorn No. 8, predominantly in section 10-25-8-W5M. These lands are north of the Trans Canada Highway & Hwy #40 interchange, approximately 35 km east of Canmore and 65 km west of Calgary.

 

Who owns Horseshoe Lands?

• TransAlta owns the land surrounding the Kananaskis Dam (West Lands), the Horseshoe Falls Dam (North Lands) and the Seebe Lands* which represent a total of 49 hectares or 122 acres.
• 1117123 Alberta Ltd. (a Stoney Nakoda Nation company) owns 93 hectares or 229 acres.
• Moondance Land Company Ltd. and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. partnership owns 218 hectares or 538 acres.
  

  *Purchase negotiations are currently underway that would result in Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. obtaining ownership of the TransAlta Seebe townsite lands.

   
What is the history of the Horseshoe Lands?
IN A NUTSHELL…

• In 1877, the Horseshoe Lands became part of the Stoney Indian Reserve under Treaty No. 7
• Around 1907, the Horseshoe Lands were acquired from the Stoney Nakoda Nation by the Calgary Power Company (TransAlta)
• In 2003, TransAlta sold a portion of the land to the Moondance Land Company and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd.

    
IN MORE DETAILS…
The valley of Mini Thni (Bow River) anchors the traditional territory of the Stoney Nakoda people, now represented by the Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley First Nations. The Nakoda forefathers first welcomed the arrival of newcomers to Nakoda country over 200 years ago. The Stoney Nakoda people traded with the Hudson’s Bay Company at Rocky Mountain House (1799) and Fort Edmonton (1795). The Methodist missionary Robert     

Rundle visited the Nakoda annually, in their camps along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from 1840 to 1848. The present Methodist mission of Morleyville, established in 1873 by pioneers George and John McDougall, now centres the Stoney Indian Reserve along the banks of the Bow River.

Upon accepting Treaty No. 7 in 1877, the Stoney Indian Reserve No. 142, 143, and 144 were surveyed in 1879 with the Reserve boundary encompassing 109 square miles, straddling the Bow River from the Kananaskis River to the Ghost River. The Horseshoe Lands were included in these original Reserve boundaries.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Calgary Power Company (now TransAlta Utilities Corporation) purchased 1,000 acres of Reserve land for the Horseshoe Falls Dam (1909) and a further 106 acres for the Kananaskis Dam (1913) in part to provide power to Calgary and to the nearby cement plant in Exshaw. The legal transfer of the Kananaskis Dam lands was not completed until 1947. As TransAlta’s business operations grew, so did Seebe which housed its workers. Seebe was once home to 22 houses, a 17-unit apartment complex, a one-room schoolhouse, a baseball diamond and the smallest curling rink in the world. The development of the industrial power generation facilities and  the supporting townsite provide a glimpse of the modern settlement and development of southern Alberta. The development of the Horseshoe Lands, a joint project, can be seen as a new stage – cooperation between Canada’s founding cultures.

The transfer of these lands from the Stoney Nakoda Nation to the Calgary Power Company was not without dispute by the Nation. The terms of the original land surrender negotiated by the Department of Indian Affairs in 1906-1914 continue to form the basis of discussions with the Federal Government. Further, on the basis of written representation received by the Nation in 1913 that the land would be returned when no longer used for the dams, the Stoney Nakoda Nations hold a caveat on the remaining TransAlta lands representing the Nation’s reversionary interest and other related rights.

In 1992, the Stoney Nakoda Nation entered into an Agreement in Principle with TransAlta to return part off the Calgary Power lands situated on the north side of the Bow River back to the Stoney Nakoda Nation. These “north of the river” lands were transferred back to the Nation in 2002 and are held by 117123 Alberta Ltd., a wholly owned Stoney Nakoda company.

As technology advanced and the dams were modernized, fewer people were required on site to operate the dam facilities so employees were free to live elsewhere and TransAlta no longer required the Seebe community. In 2003, TransAlta subdivided certain lands south of the river for divestment into two parcels. The first parcel included the Seebe lands (44 acres) while the remainder of the lands (538 acres) formed a second parcel (the Horseshoe Lands). The Horseshoe Lands and the Seebe lands were offered for sale.

The Horseshoe Lands were purchased by the Moondance Land Company and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. partnership. The Stoney Nakoda Nation, through its wholly owned company Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd., is currently completing negotiations with TransAlta to subdivide the Seebe lands so they can be purchased. TransAlta will retain lands surround the Horseshoe Falls and Kananaskis Dams for its operations.

As is clear from the history of these lands, the Horseshoe Lands are important to the culture and history of the Stoney Nakoda people. Located at the confluence of two rivers, the lands have been Stoney Nakoda lands for centuries. Further, the area was part of the original Reserve lands. Anthropological studies have identified three “regionally significant” locations, including an aboriginal site from pre-European contact. Elders have told of hunting and fishing on these lands. The Horseshoe Lands are almost totally surrounded by the Reserve and, inevitably, development as proposed in the Horseshoe Lands Area Structure Plan will impact the Reserve Lands. Therefore, any development and regulation of these lands shall always be done in consultation with the Nation.

It is for this reason that the Moondance Land Company and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. have partnered to prepare plans for this new cooperative phase in the story of these lands.

 
 Who makes up the senior management team of Moondance Land Company Ltd?

• John Third is Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, as well as the spokesperson
• Don Lee is Manager of Development

Who makes up the senior management team of Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. (a wholly owned Stoney Nakoda company)?
Heather Carnahan, was Band Administrator prior to taking on the responsibility of managing Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd.

 
Who is the media spokesperson for Horseshoe Lands?
John Third (he is also the Manager of Marketing and Public Relations).

What is Horseshoe Lands Development Company?
Horseshoe Lands Development Company is the operating company developing the lands on behalf of Moondance and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. Moondance Land Company owns 51% of the lands and Stoney Nakoda Developments Ltd. owns 49%. Both partners have contributed financially to the purchase and development cost to-date based on the ownership percentages.

What are Horseshoe Lands’ greatest challenges?

• To satisfy the municipal district environmentally-speaking
• To create a fiscally sustainable community
• To work with a political structure that allows for this type of semi-rural community to be developed
• To demonstrate that we have the ability to service lands, water and waste water.

 
Who conducted the environmental surveys for Horseshoe Lands?

• Ghostpine Environmental Services Ltd. - Cameron Faminow (President)
• Gartner Lee Limited -  Shawn Martin (Planner,  B.Sc. P. Biol. CCEP)
  

Who developed the Area Structure Plan for Horseshoe Lands?
A Calgary engineering and community planning firm by the name of UMA/AECOM.

What is the status of the Area Structure Plan for Horseshoe Lands?
We have received unanimous approval from the Municipal District of Bighorn  for third reading of the Area Structure Plan.

What happens to the Horseshoe Lands project following the approval of the Area Structure Plan?
The Horseshoe Lands Development Company will work with the municipal district of Bighorn to develop the servicing plan.

What is the vision for Horseshoe Lands?
The Horseshoe Lands will be developed as a unique rural community with small town features. It will have an attractive employment business district; it will cater to the Rocky Mountain tourist industry and will appeal to people looking to live close to the mountains in a location unlike Banff or Canmore. The design will focus on a comprehensively designed Town Centre that will act as the heart of the community. The Centre will combine residential, retail and public uses with a variety of recreational public spaces and plazas. While the Town Centre provides the attractions to the community, the commercial / industrial business district will provide the strength and the foundation for local employment. The remainder of the lands will be a range of low, medium and high density residential developments, completing a well rounded balanced and “sustainable community. A curvilinear roadway system will create a community with scenic vistas around each bend with panoramic views of Mt. Yamnuska and the Bow River.

To strengthen the economic base of the community, the business services necessary to support residents who want to develop home occupations will be included in the development program. Incubator business opportunities will be encouraged within the business areas.

The pathway system will connect various areas of the community and will encourage residents to walk and bike through the community. Preservation of natural landscape elements and sensitive areas will be a priority.

The environmental integrity of the area and the Bow River will be protected and sustainable development practices will be included in the development plan.

What is the timeframe involved from concept to completion of Horseshoe Lands?
Planning was initiated back in 2003 when the lands were acquired from TransAlta. We have now received approval of the  Area Structure Plan (ASP) from the Municipal District of Bighorn. By late fall of 2008 or spring of 2009,  the developer, is expecting to have units available .

The ASP depicts how the Horseshoe Lands area will be developed over an extended period of time. For this development to proceed, a series of public and private sector actions must occur. No definite timeframe is applied to this plan although a projected goal is to begin stage one of the developments in 2007. The timeline for the overall development will be based on Alberta’s real estate market. Current projections suggest full build out will occur by 2025.

What are the development goals of Horseshoe Lands?
The goal of this development is to create an attractive, environmentally responsible, sustainable community that attracts year-round residents. The proposed community will be a contribution to the residents of the neighboring Stoney Nakoda Nation and the municipal district of Bighorn. The development will:

1. Include a mix of land uses to provide commercial and employment opportunities as well as a residential base for the community;
   Create a community that respects its natural surroundings and supports/protects and enhances regional facilities, enterprises and communities;

2. Establish a hierarchy of streets while encouraging non-motorized transportation routes and managing speed through design;

3. Encourage home occupations, small businesses, and telecommuting as well as create a variety of business/industrial/institutional opportunities - some within defined business park settings - to create a strong employment base in the community and serve the needs of Bow Valley          residents and businesses;

4. Provide for a level of fiscal self-sufficiency so that the Horseshoe Lands Community does not become a financial burden on the M.D. of Bighorn  taxation base;

5. Encourage year-round occupancy;

6. Initiate and foster a Property Owners Association (POA) with the related infrastructure (community halls, siting, etc);

7. Implement sustainable community development practices through innovative energy and resource conservation approaches;

8. Create a community that encourages respect for the history of the land, First Nations traditions and the natural beauty of the area;

9. Preserve, protect, conserve and enhance the natural features of the Study Area, and in particular the wetland features of the site as outlined in  the environmental studies;

10. Incorporate as appropriate the “Dark Sky” standards outlines by the International Dark Sky Association;

11. Discuss with environmental enhancement and mitigation approaches with environmental and other stakeholders such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and Wildsmart;

12. Create a community centre that will act as the ‘heart’ and focus of the community;

13. Provide services and activities which will serve visitors, local residents of the M.D. of Bighorn, and the Stoney Nakoda Nation;

14. Achieve an orderly, efficient sequential pattern of development which allows various land uses in each stage.

15. Encourage a range of housing types including opportunities for affordable seniors/retirement housing;

16. Recognize the existing hydroelectric power generation and transmission facilitis, and their ongoing operations.
    
    

What type of town will Horseshoe Lands be and what types of land use will it have?
The Horseshoe Lands community will provide a combined rural/urban lifestyle with a variety of housing for permanent and seasonal residents, an artisan Town Centre and an attractive employment district. The community will consist of four distinctly themed residential areas joined by open spaces and trail networks. All roads and trails will lead to the Town Centre, thereby creating a hub of activity. Restaurants, community facilities, personal services and retail outlets in the Centre will provide the day-to-day necessities and opportunities for relaxed socializing and appreciating the breath taking vistas of Mt. Yamnuska and the Bow River. Tourism facilities and sustainable employment opportunities will follow as the community develops, creating a balanced, self-sustaining community. Attracting employment (commercial / industrial / institutional uses) to the Horseshoe Lands is necessary for balance in the community and to avoid the creation of a ‘bedroom’ community where residents live on the Horseshoe Lands but work outside the municipal district of Bighorn.

Who will live in Horseshoe Lands?
People who want to live and work in the same community; people already working in the Bow Valley.

Who is going to build Horseshoe Lands?
At this point, Horseshoe Lands Development Company is a development company. We will sell land to individuals, to builders and to other developers.

What impact will Horseshoe Lands have on the local, regional and provincial economies?
It will have a positive impact on all those economies; it will ease the shortage of residential land for housing development, it will alleviate the need for more affordable housing in the Bow Valley and for industrial and commercial land in the valley.