The timing is not right for a suggestion to annex land around Okotoks from the MD of Foothills, which would include the 400-home Wind Walk development.
On one hand the proposal comes too late as the Town already had a kick at the can to annex the land in question. From another perspective the idea comes too early because Town council is expected to make a decision later this year whether its population cap will be lifted or kept at 30,0000 residents.
Following a decision by the Municipal Government Board stating the Town of Okotoks had no right to oppose Wind Walk, Okotoks Coun. Matt Rockley said he will make a motion this month to annex land to allow for 30-years of growth and take in Wind Walk. Councillors Ed Sands and Florence Christophers have also said they would agree to the move.
If approved the move would put Okotoks in a hard position. The Town’s growth is already hampered by a lack of water licenses. If the Wind Walk development was already being constructed while the annexation process began, how would the Town be able to accommodate other builders, who are already waiting in a queue while they wait for more water licenses?
Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson said in the past if Wind Walk goes ahead within the MD of Foothills it could force Okotoks to build a water pipeline to Calgary to access more water.
If Town council decides to annex the land then it would definitely force the issue. However, building a major pipeline would also take time, something the Town does not have.
Wind Walk has been in the works for four years and the Holmes Foundation, led by television fix-it guru Mike Holmes, is ready to make this project sooner rather than later.
Okotoks needs to step back from Wind Walk and let the MD handle the project, at least until they decide what their growth policy will be in the future and where their water is coming from.
Rockley also mentioned annexing land would allow the Town to have a buffer between Okotoks and the MD. Is the move to build a moat? Is a moat necessary if Okotoks councillors agree to lift the population cap?
There are more questions than answers at this stage and until the Town knows which direction it is taking it would be in their best interest to continue to work with the MD, who has been working on the Wind Walk project from day one.
The Town and the MD have already worked out a complicated and potentially contentious agreement which sees the rural municipality pay the Town $500,000 annually for the costs incurred by Okotoks for MD residents using town infrastructure and services.
They have shown they can work together to tackle the sticky issues facing neighbouring communities so they should put their heads together once again and work out a deal to allow Wind Walk to proceed without more delays.
Wind Walk is potentially a groundbreaking development and the MD of Foothills and Okotoks will benefit from it being in either one’s backyard.
