The City of Airdrie has announced the acquisition of 185 acres of land from a local family to create the largest regional park in Airdrie.
According to a Jan. 10 press release, the City acquired 185 acres of land in northeast Airdrie last month for $10.44 million, with funding for the land acquisition approved in the 2018 capital budget. Costs for future land development were presented to Airdrie City council in the 10-year capital plan.
The release stated the land was chosen based on its natural conditions, location, and access in the northeast limits of the city. The intention is to develop a regional park on the land to benefit Airdrie’s growing population.
“We’re excited about this park land, which will be the largest of its kind in the city, and will create immense opportunities for Airdrie,” said Mayor Peter Brown in the release. “People of all ages will be exploring this beautiful, natural wilderness for generations to come.”
Planning for the regional park has not yet begun, according to the release. However, the City stated approximately 75 acres of the land will be preserved as a natural and treed area.
The land on which the park will be situated previously belonged to the Hamilton family, who have used it since 1972 for crops and cattle grazing. According to the release, Hugh Hamilton was a prominent philanthropist and member of Airdrie's business community for many years. In addition to founding the Airdrie Registry and the Airdrie Alta Insurance, Hamilton was a Rotary Club of Airdrie and Lions Club member, before he passed in 2015 at the age of 85.
“Dad... would have liked that the integrity of the land is being preserved,” stated Hamilton's son, Myles, in the City's release. “He used to say that it was the highest point in Airdrie, so it will be special for Airdrie residents to enjoy that view as well.”
Reached later, Myles and his brother Kevin Hamilton said the future park can create a lasting legacy in Airdrie.
“Once residents of Airdrie are able to walk around the area, I think they'll be very surprised at how unique of a property it is,” Kevin said. “We're just so excited about the many years ahead that people will be able to use this space as a park.”
According to the press release, the land acquisition process included a Historical Resource Impact Assessment to look for archaeological sites, paleontological sites, historic buildings, and other structures. The City also completed other technical studies, including groundwater tests, a geotechnical study, and other land-based assessments.
Bob Neale, the City of Airdrie's manager of capital plans and infrastructure, said there were many criteria the City considered when deciding where to locate a future park.
“One was, we didn’t really need it in the south end of the city because Chinook Winds Regional Park is located in that area,” he said. “We were looking more to the north. We were looking at it more on the east side of Highway 2 to service the overall and future population a bit better.
“We also had criteria about preserving environmental area, so we checked that box, and we were also looking at a relatively flat parcel,” Neale added. “We don’t know the exact uses that will be on it, but similar to Chinook Winds park, if there are baseball diamonds, sports fields, or something of that nature, you need a relatively flat piece of land.”
Neale noted accessibility was another factor the City considered, and said Hamilton Boulevard and Range Road 291 offer two places of egress.
Public engagement and master planning will begin this year to determine what the future park will look like, according to Neale. He said community input will help the City prioritize which amenities will be included in the park and how the lands will ultimately be shaped.
“I think what we’re looking for is probably a combination of passive recreation and active recreation, he said. “We’ve got the treed area and the wildlife, so that’s one part of it. The balance of it… I’d point to Chinook Winds and say, ‘This is what it could look like if we duplicated that facility to the north.’
“Is it going to be a water park, baseball diamonds? The public will tell us what they feel they need, and through a needs assessment, we’ll drill down to see if we can check all the boxes on what needs to be in place for our future regional park.”
The City's release stated the land will not be available for public use in the interim. Instead, it will continue to be leased to farmers and ranchers to ensure the land is productive while park planning work is completed.
Project updates will be available at airdrie.ca/regionalpark as they become available. Neale said questions about the project can be directed to [email protected]
