Medicine Hat Minute: Issue 277

Medicine Hat Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Medicine Hat politics

📅 This Week In Medicine Hat: 📅

• Council will hold a public hearing at its 6:30 pm meeting today on a proposal to rezone 22 Sierra Green SW in Saamis Heights to allow row housing. The owner, Jayco Builders Inc., plans to combine the lot with its neighbour and build a four-unit row house, which the applicant says would produce lower-cost new homes. The rezoning would move the site from a district that allows at most two dwellings per lot to one that permits row housing and other multi-unit forms. The City Clerk received 30 written submissions by the deadline, all of them opposed, most of them signed forms endorsing a residents' letter that cites street parking, traffic on the neighbourhood's single way in and out, emergency access, and property values. Administration claims the change would not depart from the area's statutory plans, noting that nearby lots already hold semi-detached houses, a fourplex, and townhouses. If Council gives the bylaw second and third readings, the project would still need a development permit.
  
  
• Also on today's public hearing agenda is the rezoning of two motels, the Ranchmen Motel at 535 16 Street SW and the Sundek Motel at 855 Gershaw Drive SW, so that each can be converted into multi-unit housing. Both sites would move from a regional commercial district to a residential district, removing the commercial uses the land now allows. Administration acknowledges that both properties sit in the West Employment Sector, where the Municipal Development Plan says residential uses should be avoided to prevent conflicts with industry, but points to broader policies that encourage infill, housing diversity, and the reuse of underused commercial land. The reports also note that the surrounding areas are built for vehicles and unfriendly to pedestrians, with the nearest full-service grocery store more than 1.3 kilometers away on foot from the Ranchmen and more than 1.6 kilometers from the Sundek. The Ranchmen's 1964 neon cowboy sign, listed on the City's heritage inventory, would be reviewed at the development permit stage. The City Clerk notified 79 nearby property owners and received no written submissions on either rezoning.
  
  
• The City's Alcohol in Parks pilot program ended on September 30th after running since July 2nd. The pilot allowed people 18 and older to drink alcohol while seated at designated picnic tables in Kin Coulee Park, Echo Dale Regional Park, and Strathcona Island Park. Drinking was permitted only at the labelled tables, with food present, from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. The City has surveyed park users before, during, and after the pilot as part of a broader evaluation of how the program affected them and their enjoyment of the parks. Acting Director of Parks and Recreation Scott Richter has said public feedback is needed to identify potential concerns and ensure a balanced evaluation. A post-program survey is open from October 1st to October 15th, and the City says its results will be included in the pilot's final summary report.
  
  
• The owner of the former Maple Leaf Flour Mill at 355 Kipling Street is proposing a redevelopment of the historic site that could include up to 190 housing units, with apartments built inside the mill's silos. The concept, presented to residents at an open house at Medicine Hat College on September 29th, would convert the silos, originally built in 1915, into an 80-unit, eight-storey apartment complex of one- and two-bedroom units. The architect told attendees that silo apartments are growing more popular in Europe but would be the first of their kind in Alberta, and that the alternative was to demolish the structures and send them to landfill. Around the mill, the owner is also seeking to build a 60-unit apartment building, up to 30 row housing units, 10 four-plexes, and 10 single detached houses, along with commercial and institutional space, pathways, and plazas. The concept is inspired by a $200-million redevelopment of the Collingwood Grain Terminals in Ontario, where old grain silos are being converted into hotel rooms. The developers are in the initial stages of the project and hope to submit a completed outline plan to the City within six months. A second round of public consultation will be held before a revised concept goes to the City, though no date has been set.
  
  
• The City of Medicine Hat has released more details on its newly designated off-leash areas, after changes to the trail network took effect on September 8th. Under the changes, every park, trail, and open space in the city is on-leash unless it is specifically designated as off-leash. The three unfenced off-leash areas are a section of Echo Dale Regional Park, a corridor along the Ranchlands and Parkview neighbourhoods, and part of the Ross Glen natural area. Along with the existing Westvue and Saratoga dog parks, the five designated areas cover 58 hectares, and new signs will mark where people enter and exit each one. The City says the areas were chosen because they are open, have multiple access points, and offer good visibility, and that the changes followed public feedback about safety on the trail network. According to the City, residents reported severe incidents involving off-leash dogs and children, people using mobility devices, other vulnerable trail users, and wildlife, and officials believe such incidents are likely under-reported. Acting Director of Parks and Recreation Scott Richter acknowledged there will be mixed perspectives from residents on the decision.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The City of Medicine Hat's Alcohol in Parks pilot, which let adults drink at designated picnic tables in Kin Coulee Park, Echo Dale Regional Park, and Strathcona Island Park from July 2nd to September 30th, has ended, and the City wants to hear from residents.

A post-program survey is open until October 15th, and the City says the feedback will be included in the pilot's final summary report.

If you have a view on whether alcohol should be allowed in City parks, take a few minutes to share it before the survey closes.

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