Plans for Ricardo Ranch suburb push on despite environmental concerns

Environmental advocates and citizens addressed Calgary city council on Tuesday in defence of an environmentally sensitive area slated for development. 

Several groups called on councillors to better protect environmentally significant wetlands and blue heron nesting sites within Ricardo Ranch lands; to pause and reconsider. 

"Calgarians do not want you to continue down this path any longer," said citizen advocate and Alberta Wilderness Association board member Nathaniel Schmidt. "It's time to change our planning process so that this doesn't happen at the 11th hour due to public outcry."

Ricardo Ranch is a 570-hectare area south of Seton. Its area structure plan was approved by city council in 2019. Last year, the city gave the green light for three communities in Ricardo Ranch: Seton Ridge, Logan Landing and Nostalgia.

At this point, these projects have been moving through the planning and design process for years. The city councillor for the area told reporters it's too late to pivot.

"These are important conversations to have," Ward 12 Coucillor Evan Spencer said. "But blowing it up at the last moment, I have real concerns about that."

The focus on Tuesday was Logan Landing. Developers presented an outline plan, detailing the types of homes to be built, plans for trails, local parks, a school and a playfield. The map also outlined setbacks from the heron rookery and Bow River. 

Arnie Stefanick of Genesis Land Development said tens of thousands of people are moving to Calgary and need somewhere to live. This development, he said, helps achieve this as Logan Landing will bring 2,000 homes online. 

Part of the plan includes building a set of homes below an escarpment that would bring people closer to the banks of the Bow River. Drawings suggest there's more than a 50-metre setback from the water.

"Contrary to public comments, there are no wetlands and zero development along the Bow River in Logan Landing," he said. "In fact, 78 per cent of our lands in the river valley and escarpment will be protected and left undisturbed." 

He called the project a new kind of suburb, close to inner-city density communities like Garrison Woods. 

"They have aligned all of their plans with the policy that exists," Spencer said. "This is the last kind of final plan before they get the land use and can begin their work, so it really is the end of the process in many respects."

Citizens, environmentalists push for a better plan

After declaring a climate emergency, some believe following the current policies isn't enough. There were dozens of submissions in the agenda package, and speakers took to the podium late Tuesday to share their worries.

"We're not acting like there's a climate emergency. Right now, we're acting as if it's business as usual — and it's not business as usual," said Schmidt.

Schmidt and several other speakers, many of whom are environmental stewards of established park spaces, wanted the city to reconsider parts of the development to create a bigger buffer between wildlife and people. 

Some asked that the plans to build homes near the banks of the Bow River be scrapped. 

'There's no way we can predict the prolonged effects'

Many city parks, these experts and advocates told council, are losing biodiversity because of the impacts of human activity on the land. Speakers wanted councillors to acknowledge that policy can't protect habitat from the impacts of human activity. 

"You bring in this much construction, this many people, into an area that is so sensitive, and there's no way we can predict the prolonged effects on this area," Schmidt said.

During debate, Coun. Kourtney Penner told her colleagues if she had more support, she would ask to pause these plans and test the outline against updates coming to city policy. 

The City of Calgary is in the midst of updating important policy documents that outline development rules around the city's river valleys.

Councillors vote to move forward

"Sadly, human behaviour is not something we can policy our way out of," Penner said. "I have North Glenmore Park, I have South Glenmore Park, I have Carburn Park, I have the Weaselhead area in my ward, and I see human destruction day in and day out."

Deputy mayor Courtney Walcott also questioned the "should" of such a development, especially plans to build homes so close to the Bow. He voted against the outline plan, too. 

"Of the 210 [homes] that are below the escarpment that is being contemplated in this plan, should we be doing those," Walcott said. "Do we have the possibility and potential to do so? Yup … I don't think anyone contemplated 'should we,' it was only ever a question of 'can we.'"