January 27, 2015 – Rocky View County Council has turned down an application from the Rockyview Motorsports Corporation for a 640-acre race course and automotive-related development just northeast of Airdrie.
After ten hours of public debate, Council unanimously voted against the development, which would have included a race course, karting facility, car condos, driving training centre, municipal grid and handling course, and other automotive-related services.
While a number of points were raised in support of and opposition to the development by members of the public and Councillors, the overall theme of the refusal was the unsuitability of the project for an area with a ranch and farm land use designation.
Rocky View County’s master planning document, the County Plan, provides long-term direction on where residential, commercial, and agricultural development should be located. The proposed motorsports park is considered a commercial development by the County, and the location identified was not in an area the County Plan identifies for commercial, industrial, or business development.
Rocky View County values agricultural land as an important part of the economic and social fabric of the municipality. The County subjects ranch and farm land to the same careful planning and development considerations as any other land use type.
Should the Rockyview Motorsports Corporation wish to continue to pursue a development in the County, they have the options of considering other appropriately-zoned sites or attempting to alter and resubmit the application for the current site.
