December 13, 2006

Spruce Meadows leaving the city

SUZANNE ZWARUN

Correspondent

The facility that made Calgary famous in international equestrian circles is leaving the city.

Spruce Meadows, actually, isn’t going anywhere but the show jumping venue repeatedly named the best in the world wants to take itself out of the City of Calgary’s jurisdiction and move all of itself into the Municipal District of Foothills.

Spruce Meadows owners Marg and Ron Southern own 1.27 square kilometres of land, more than half of which is within the MD of Foothills while the remainder is within the city’s boundaries.

Following a request from the Southerns, the MD intends to annex 56 hectares of Spruce Meadows land. “From the standpoint of managing our future growth, it’s easier if we’re within one jurisdiction,” says Spruce Meadows vice president Randy Fedorak.

Spruce Meadows’ area structure plan calls for such expansion as building a new breeding operation on the west side of its property but Fedorak told the Journal all new construction has been in a “holding pattern” because of soaring costs. The facility hasn’t built anything since a 2003 grandstand and won’t until prices settle down, he says.

While Spruce Meadows is classified as a farm, the area around it—city or MD—grows less bucolic by the day.

Construction started last year on adjoining Silverado, a 17,000-resident housing development that the Southerns fought as an intrusion on Spruce Meadows’ rural ambiance.

People living west of Spruce Meadows along the picturesque Cowboy Trail are now fighting an 85-house development called Saddle Springs.

More than 150 people, bearing a petition signed by hundreds more, recently packed a marathon four-hour hearing called by the MD of Foothills. They claim the development will affect the area in “catastrophic” ways. Protesters say the development will lead to water shortages, traffic congestion and wildlife disruption.

The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory also has asked the Calgary developers for assurances they will take light pollution into consideration.

The houses would be built on one to three hectare lots on a $6 million, 2.5 square kilometre parcel of land at the corner of Highway 22 and Plummers Road.

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