Dawn Smith/Rocky View Publishing

Amber Osadan-Ullman, of the City's planning department, speaks to a resident at an open house, May 29. The event, held in the Rotary Room at Genesis Place, was put on by the City to garner input from residents on what the future of Airdrie should look like.

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Residents get say on future development

About 50 people attended a City of Airdrie open house to look at what future residential areas in the city might look like, May 29.

The event, which took place in the Rotary Room at Genesis Place, was held to gather input into the City’s rewrite of the land use bylaw and municipal development plan, which staff will be working on in the coming months.

Several staff members, aldermen and Mayor Peter Brown were on hand to facilitate the open house and listen to residents’ feedback.

“It’s why we are here, getting people engaged in the process and what the future is going to look like,” said Brown.

“We are in business to serve our customers and that is our businesses and residents and these types of events go a long way into incorporating their ideas and their views on what Airdrie is going to look like.”

During the open house, residents were asked their views on a variety of topics that could affect future Airdronians every day.

Topics included secondary suites, working at home, how to make different housing types blend together and which streetscapes and green features are most appealing.

In an interactive display, residents voted on where they would put an additional $20,000 given to them if they were to build a home. Options included green technology, location, upgraded features and nearby amenities.

Mike and Cathryn De Carlo, who have lived in Airdrie for seven years, attended the event to ensure their voice would be considered when planning for the future.

The couple recently moved to Cooper’s Crossing and said they would like to see more parks and open spaces in residential neighbourhoods.

“You shouldn’t have to leave your community to see amenities,” said De Carlo.

The De Carlos said they would also like to see community standards more strictly enforced to maintain property values.

“We are just concerned about the neighbourhood... (and) how it could change for the better,” said De Carlo.

Brown said the City encourages people to come forward with concerns and ideas.

“We are here because we want to make sure our residents know we are a conduit,” he said.

“If you have concerns and you want to be part of the process, we really encourage people to get involved.”

For more information or to provide input, visit www.airdrie.ca or call 403-948-8800.