CHAT File Photo

By Gates Guarin

Storm pond issue a focal point surrounding Coulee Ridge outline plan

Sep 6, 2022 | 10:56 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Concerns over the replacement of a proposed lake for a storm pond in Medicine Hat’s newest community development were addressed at Monday’s city council meeting.

A presentation on the Coulee Ridge outline plan was given by city planners and developers which outlines future plans for development for the community of Coulee Ridge located in the city’s south.

Upon conclusion of the presentation, similar questions from Councillors Alison Knodel and Robert Dumanowski were raised in regards to the decision to replace a lake, which was a prominent part of the community’s initial proposal, with a storm pond.

“I wonder if we’re going to advertise something as a neighbourhood that’s going to draw people because of this incredible water feature…and then change our minds about it, I just wonder is there any way that we could see that lake come back to life?” Knodel asked.

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She adds the water feature would make the community stand out over other new developments.

“I see that this is a neighbourhood that could end up being another run-of-the-mill neighbourhood if we don’t have something that makes it stand apart,” Knodel says.

Dumanowski says he has heard both formal and informal concerns about the lake, which has some “pointing the finger” at the city for the change.

“I feel as though we were put in a position…of looking like perhaps, we weren’t playing honestly with the public,” Dumanowski says.

“It’s been an ongoing design and cycle process that we worked through,” says Elise Harlick, development manager for Coulee Ridge development. “The changeover occurred in 2019, when we started looking at the details of what would be involved with providing a lake and a storm pond.”

Harlick says it was ultimately not in both the development’s or the city’s best interest to pursue the lake proposal.

“Through feedback from our residents and from potential purchasers and city staff, we are pursuing more family-friendly, larger variety amenities,” Harlick says. “The original amenity was very water-centered, and there was two lakes…now you have one, and that will be more than less than half the cost.”

Harlick adds the original lake would have been very expensive to maintain and would have required consistent monitoring.

Council ultimately passed a bylaw to adopt the Coulee Ridge outline plan by a unanimous vote.