Growth Spurt in the Burbs • Real Estate
“This is such a fantastic community,” she beams in true Patricia Matthews style. “We have a small-town feel in a relaxed setting, we have safety, access to schools and amenities and quiet living that you probably don’t get anywhere else in the Calgary area. Water is our greatest amenity. Chestermere is the only place in the region with direct access to water for recreation. “Some people are surprised when they find out that Chestermere has been growing for 21 years. People started catching on about 10 years ago and the community has grown 200 per cent just in the last decade.” Matthews grins affectionately about being an early Chestermere believer. “The town has been here since 1993. We moved here in 1998, when there were barely 2,000 people, one gas station and a corner store. The population is now nearly 18,000 and it’s such a young, dynamic community! According to municipal statistics, about one-third are under 21 and well over 50 per cent are under 40.” Ivan Booker, mayor of Cochrane The Chestermere mayor is enthusiastic, even when it comes to the official explanation of the 30-year municipal plan for how the town plans to grow, attract residents and businesses and maintain a low tax rate. “We have always been fiscally conservative,” she admits, “making sure our growth fits with the demands of the community and council is focused on developers paying for development. A growing community needs development to continue healthy, but not on the backs of existing residents and businesses. “We know who we want to be and we are a great place to live,” gushes the mayor. It’s about a 30-minute, 37-kilometre commute from the manicured front lawns and coloured chalk-marked driveways of Cochrane to the overpriced and full parking lots in the downtown core.
“Recently we finally got a Walmart and that has stopped a lot of the leakage into the city,” is the excited comment from Ivan Brooker, the upbeat and focused mayor of Cochrane. “It’s a great spin-off for our businesses, our restaurants, our new Sobeys, our theatre and the retailers who will follow. “We are extremely proud to be a dynamic and growing community. We just did a census and received the results this spring. Cochrane is now 20,700 people and growing. Many people still commute, and when they come home and on weekends, we want to make sure we have what they need to stay home, in Cochrane,” he candidly admits council’s strategy. The mayor also explains that his town is working with a 10-year plan, mostly targeting infrastructure and development growth. “We work hard to have exceptional relationships with developers and we’re fortunate to be working with a great group. When they succeed, we succeed and we grow. That’s the key. It’s a healthy balance. We must have our needs met but we must also do what we can to meet the needs of the developers. “We understand their business and that time is money,” Brooker explains. “So we do what we can to keep the ball rolling. “I guess we benefit from the problems and frustrations I’m hearing some developers have with Calgary approvals and delays. We don’t want to make the same mistakes.” The Cochrane mayor says the town has no set targets but work their budgets on an annual growth rate of four to 5.5 per cent. Not overly-ambitious or out of line, considering the resounding growth spurt of Calgary suburbs. BiC
Drakes Landing, Okotoks. Photo by Nancy Bielecki.
76 • September 2014 BUSINESS IN CALGARY | businessincalgary.com