FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY MAY 25, 2021
At the May 21 Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) meeting, the Board voted to support the Growth and Servicing Plans, which will now be sent to the Honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs for consideration and approval.
The Growth Plan was developed around a principle of environmental and sustainable growth. A key focus of the CMRB is based on doing what is best for the long-term success and viability of the region in its entirety. This aligns with and complements Cochrane’s strategic planning principles and documents, including the Municipal Development Plan, Cochrane Sustainability Plan, and the Cochrane Community Vision.
“At the early onset of the CMRB, Council and Senior Administration recognized the need to ensure that any commitments made to the Calgary Metro Region needed to align with our vision for our community,”
said Mayor Jeff Genung.“We came together and created a vision for the future of our community. The Cochrane Community Vision, which was unanimously supported by Council and included a significant public engagement component, focuses on four overarching goals: maintain our small-town community identity, protect our open spaces and natural areas, create a complete community, and maintain a vibrant economy. This CMR growth plan supports this vision in its entirety.”
In 2017, the Government of Alberta established the CMRB. The Board was mandated to prepare a regional growth plan to establish a framework for managing growth and implementing long-term goals reflecting the aspirations of the Region. The Growth Plan provides a framework to accommodate the next one million people and anticipated 600,000 jobs in the CMR over the next 30 plus years.
The Growth Plan is based on principles of sustainable development and the understanding that environmentally responsible land use planning, growth management and efficient use of land, infrastructure and services provides economic, social and environmental benefits across the region. These principles align with Cochrane’s vision, values, and approach to sustainable growth management and development.
“The approval of the Growth Plan will not significantly impact Cochrane’s day-to-day planning efforts. We will need to update our Municipal Development Plan to ensure it is consistent with the Growth Plan, which we have already planned to do in 2022. What the growth plan does achieve for Cochrane is it helps to ensure there isn’t significant development occurring on our borders which creates pressures on our own Town infrastructure, an.d ultimately, on our tax-payers to support.”
added Mike Derricott, Town of Cochrane CAOAdditional information regarding the CRMB and the Growth and Servicing Plans can be found at www.cmrb.com.