Council approved the project last year pending the results of a ground water study published last week. The city says the proposed development could cause excess flooding in the Confederation Creek catchment area.CALGARY HERALD
The owner of the Highland Park Development site says the city didn’t weigh all its options when looking at how to tackle drainage issues for the embattled project.
The nearly 2,100-unit mixed-use residential development, slated to break ground on the former Highland Park golf course, has had significant pushback from area residents.
Council approved the project in March 2017 pending the results of a groundwater study published last week, with the city saying the proposed development could cause excess flooding in the Confederation Creek catchment area.
The study outlined five options to improve drainage and mitigate flooding — including a $300-million water diversion to the Bow River — but found building multiple storage ponds on the site is the most feasible recommendation, at an estimated cost of $35 million.
But Ajay Nehru, president of Vancouver-based Maple Projects Inc., said that option would mean his development project would have to be scrapped, leaving the city and taxpayers on the hook to buy the land back at an additional cost.
“I represent less than one per cent of this area, and (the city) owns a lot of this area,” Nehru said. “So what would it take for me to build my development?
“Well, it would just take them finding somewhere else to put 180,000 cubic metres of water, and I have two engineering firms who have shown them where they can do it.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi — who voted against the project — said Highland Park isn’t dead but will need “significant modification,” admitting the city “should have done this work prior to approving the land use plan” for the development.
“Turns out it’s a pretty big deal,” Nenshi said. “It’s a pretty big deal for drainage throughout a bunch of north Calgary, so I’m not very happy we took the process in this direction.”
As part of the development, Nehru said Maple Projects planned to twin an existing storm duct on the property to increase drainage.
With the golf course reconfiguration and the housing development, we continue to receive numerous emails from the residents of The Hamptons regarding the heavy equipment noise, the speed of the vehicles on Hamptons Drive, the level of dust, the condition of the roads and sidewalks, etc.
The only way these problems will be remedied will be if you contact 311 with your concerns. Please request a Service Request Number from them so that you may track the request. If after the time-frame they give you, you still have not had a response, please contact 311 again and ask that it be “escallated”. Once you have done that, send Alderman Joe Magliocca at joe.magliocca@calgary.ca an email with the Service Request Number and hopefully they will see what they can find out about it.
As well, it would be a good idea to report the volume of traffic, excess speed of the trucks, etc. to the Calgary Police Service.
Unfortunately, we have many more years ahead of us with this project and in order to keep our community safe, etc. we will require your help as residents to call those in power to assist us with issues of this nature.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Respectfully
The Hamptons Residents For Responsible Development
We would like to inform you that the City has informed Windmill Golf that they must stop work on the golf course and make an application for a new development permit. The work site was shut down on Thursday, November 30th.
Please read the following article that was published in The Herald:
Published on: December 1, 2017 | Last Updated: December 1, 2017 11:26 AM MST
Bob and Gina Church outside their home near the Hamptons golf course in Calgary on Wednesday November 29, 2017. Leah Hennel/Postmedia
In a move that’s much like closing the proverbial barn door after all the barnyard animals have escaped and then been run over by a transport truck, the City of Calgary’s bylaw office shut down the stripping and grading of the Hamptons Golf Course Thursday following questions by the Postmedia.
Since late September, Windmill Golf Group — which bought the championship golf course in 2013 — has torn up more than 40 mature spruce trees at holes seven and eight in the upscale northwest community, that is home to families of deer and migrating birds.
Paul Donker, Calgary’s co-ordinator for community planning, said a development inspector visited the site to investigate and shut down the worksite Thursday.
“It was determined that a permit for changes to the site is required, since it is larger than 1,000 metres-square,” said Donker in a written statement. “The owners have been informed and notified to stop work and make an application.”
Community residents are outraged that the Windmill Golf Group would go ahead and tear up the land without a development permit.
“This is a lot too little and a lot too late,” said an outraged Gina Church, whose house backs onto the pond at the seventh hole of the golf course.
“Us regular citizens have to get a permit if we want to make the slightest modification or addition to our backyard deck or renovate our basement, but (the owner) started tearing up a huge area of sensitive wildlife reserves and pulling out trees since late September and the city didn’t do anything until the media called,” she said.
Robert Church, a former professor at the University of Calgary’s medical school (which he helped found), said torn up ground near the water’s edge is proof that the golf course owner is contravening the Water Conservation Act.
“Now the damage has been done,” said Church.
“It’s extremely upsetting and disappointing. This used to be called Deer Coulee and we used to ride our horses around here when we were kids,” said the 80-year-old.
The Hamptons golf course in Calgary on Wednesday November 29, 2017. Leah Hennel/Postmedia
Donker notes that he doesn’t know if any fines will be levied against Windmill Golf Group.
It would be outrageous if the company isn’t fined. After all, Donker admitted that they “got approval for a development permit for stripping and grading from the administration, however it was appealed, the appeal was launched and the application was withdrawn.”
In other words, Windmill Golf Group went ahead with the redevelopment of the land even though it knew it withdrew its application.
“In speaking with our development inspection team, the City always seeks compliance as a first approach to provide the owners an opportunity to correct the situation; in this case, they will have to apply for the proper permit,” said Donker.
Looks like kid-glove treatment, doesn’t it? Us little guys who can’t afford to own a golf course should keep this sentence in mind if we’re ever fined for not shovelling our walk fast enough or if a pet escapes and is captured by the city or if we “forget” to apply for a development permit when we rebuild the deck. We can reply, “Doesn’t the city always seek compliance as a first approach to provide the owners an opportunity to correct the situation?”
When asked for an interview, the Windmill Golf Group responded by email, telling Postmedia to contact its contracted developer, Quantum Place Developments.
But Chris Ollenberger, the managing principal at Quantum, says his company is not doing the work on the golf course.
“Windmill’s owner is away so I think that’s why you were asked to call me, but Quantum isn’t doing the golf course work. We’re doing the housing development, so I haven’t even been down to that site and I really don’t know what’s going on there,” said Ollenberger.
The Hamptons gold course in Calgary on Wednesday November 29, 2017. Leah Hennel/Postmedia
City Hall has received more than 3,000 letters of complaint by residents and others who object to the city rezoning recreational property to build a 64-unit housing development on the course’s existing 14th and 15th holes. That will result in the golf course needing to be rejigged to replace those two holes on the remaining footprint.
Under Calgary’s Land Use Bylaw, there is the ability to strip and grade land as long as it’s under 1,000 square metres. If it’s larger than that, then they need a development permit.
Hamptons Golf Course is the fourth golf course that the city has allowed to be rezoned from recreational land to residential: Shawnee Slopes, Highland Park and Harvest Hills have all been wiped out to put in housing.
“This is very shortsighted of the city,” complained Gina Church. She noted that the residents of the Hamptons all got together and spent $45,000 on legal fees, putting in an offer to buy the golf course and turn it into a park, but the land’s owner turned down the offer.
As for City Hall, it’s clear that someone hasn’t been doing his job properly. It shouldn’t require a call from a newspaper to get action on the tearing up of land without a permit.
We would like to inform you that the Applicant has asked the City of Calgary Subdivision and Development Appeal Board to withdraw their development permit application and to surrender their development permit.
As you are aware, reconfiguration work of the golf course has already begun on some of the holes on the front nine of the course. Bennett Jones LLP is investigating and we will continue to keep you abreast of further developments regarding this matter. Respectfully The Hamptons Residents For Responsible Development
It’s the morning after and we now know the results of the 2017 Municipal Election.
We would like to thank Jennifer Wyness for taking on the challenge of running in Ward 2, the volunteers who worked endless hours and walked endless miles and to those from our community who supported Jennifer and who have supported our group from day one.
Joe has been re-elected and we hope that he realizes the challenges that face him in the upcoming months/years.
Our lawyers at Bennett Jones LLP requested the City issue a “stop order” for current stripping, grading and tree removal work on holes 6 through 8. The City indicated no permit is required. Bennett Jones is following up to ensure that this is accurate.
Our lawyers have also appealed the development permit approval for Cells A and B. A preliminary meeting before the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board is set for Thursday, November 2nd. At that time, the Board will set a future date where the merits of the appeal will be heard.
We will keep you informed as more details become available.
Respectfully
The Hamptons Residents For Responsible Development
Election Day is drawing near … take time to read the following article in order to help you make a very important decision, a decision that will not only impact the next 4 years in Calgary, but also for many years to come.
As you read the article, please be made aware of the following:
Christopher Maitland – Chris was an Executive Assistant to Incumbent Joe Magliocca in Joe’s first year of office.
George Georgeou – George is a licensed realtor and a construction professional.
As many residents have voiced in City Open Houses, surveys and through votes at HOA meetings, the community is opposed to this activity and the re-designation of parts of our community previously designated as “Special Recreational.”
In the public hearing at City Hall on April 10, 2017, despite numerous residents asking for reconsideration or alternatives, the City Councillor who represents The Hamptons, Joe Magliocca, made a motion to Council that the development proposed by Hamptons Golf Course owner, Windmill Golf, be accepted. As Councillor Magliocca addressed City Council and gave reasons why he supported the redevelopment, he said “it adds a lot of value to The Hamptons area.” The motion was then passed, forever changing the designation of some areas of the golf course from Recreational to Residential. If all approvals are granted, Windmill Golf can proceed with building residential areas in some areas of the golf course, reconfiguring the community’s storm water management system, adding traffic to our roads and increasing pressure on our school and recreational amenities.
Yesterday the following information was sent to Members of The Hamptons Golf Club via e-mail:
“We are happy to announce that initial clearing, rough grading and construction for the redesign will begin this week, and will continue through the fall as long as conditions permit. Most of the work will be done around the 6th, 7th and 8th holes and there will be very little, if any, disruption of play. Do expect however, a number of vehicles, construction workers and some noise during your final few rounds at the club. We are extremely happy to have a top notch contractor and a respected shaper to help us bring these exciting course changes to fruition.”
The Calgary Municipal Election is Monday, October 16th. YOU HAVE A VOICE and a choice for who represents The Hamptons at City Hall going forward. Exercise your choice and VOTE on October 16th. Advance voting is now available if you are unable to vote on October 16th.
Respectfully
The Hamptons Residents For Responsible Development
A Town Hall was held with Ward 2 City Council candidate Jennifer Wyness on September 27th and was very well received. Jennifer introduced herself and her positions related to The Hamptons residents and fielded questions from the audience.
Candidate Trina Hurdman, from the Calgary Board of Education was in attendance and also introduced herself and gave her positions on school related items.
Incumbent Joe Magliocca was asked to attend the Town Hall but declined.
With the election only 2 weeks away, Jennifer is extremely busy door knocking and listening to your concerns.
The most important thing you can do if you truly want change in Calgary, is to VOTE on Monday, October 16th. Advance voting is also available if you are unable to vote on October 16th.
You will have the opportunity to ask Jennifer questions not only about what concerns you have in your community, but about concerns you have for the city in general.
It is very important for Calgary and our democracy that people are informed, engaged and vote in the upcoming Municipal Election on Monday, October 16th.
You will have the opportunity to ask Jennifer questions not only about what concerns you have in your community, but about concerns you have for the city in general.
It is very important for Calgary and our democracy that people are informed, engaged and vote in the upcoming Municipal Election on Monday, October 16th.
Hamptons Residents for Responsible Development 