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Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 1 Introduction

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Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 1 Introduction MEDICINE RIVER VALLEY CONCEPT PLAN AND STUdy April 2008 prepared by T h e U rban Lab, Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary Project Team: The EVDS Urban Lab University of Calgary Dr. Bev Sandalack Francisco Alaniz Uribe Braden Abrams Reid Blair Marsden Fraser Blyth Matt Knapik Red Deer County Harry Harker Linda Henrickson Denise Bedford We would like to acknowledge the participants in the workshops and open houses whose comments and feedback helped to inform this plan. Thank you for your contributions. C O N T ENT S 1 Introduction Background Legislative & P lanning Framework Approach & Methodology 2 T ownscape Analysis Study Area Visual Inventory Environmental Characteristics Historic and Cultural Resources Settlement/Community P rofiles Land U se Infrastructure Assets, Issues, and O pportunities 3 Area Concept P lan Land U se Concept Nodes & Connections O pen Space System T ourism 4 Guidelines for New Development References and Appendices vi Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BackgrOUND Rural lands along the Medicine River are under growing pressure for conversion from traditional large parcel agriculture to small parcel specialty agriculture and hobby farm uses, and there is increasing demand for country residential development opportunities in this region. Red Deer County, which have jurisdiction on these lands, recognizes the need to develop a coordinated approach to preservation and encouragement of agricultural uses and related businesses, respecting evolving markets and trends, the conservation of natural capital, the development of compatible recreational and tourism uses, and, if proven appropriate, the associated development of well-sited rural residential neighbourhoods. The plan area includes all or part of some 180 quarter sections that are within one mile of the banks of the Medicine River. The process utilized in this plan includes: - an environmental overview to identify areas of significant value - a review of local development patterns and trends - an overview of recreation and tourism opportunities - the development of recommended land use policies - preparation of some appropriate guidelines and standards - an interactive process that includes review with the public and stakeholders. The intent of this plan is to provide a document that will provide the framework for future neighbourhood-level concept plans, area structure plans, and outline plans. Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 1 1.2 LEGISLATIVE & PLANNING FRAMEWORK Red Deer County’s Corporate Strategic Plan includes a Growth Management Strategy (2006) that outlines several goals. The intent is to achieve a high quality of life that supports sustainable growth and economic diversification while recognizing the importance of the agricultural base. The goals are: 1. Support financially sustainable growth 2. Enhance agricultural viability 3. Protect environmentally sensitive lands 4. Respect county character 5. Diversify the economy 6. Provide housing choice 7. Create more balanced communities 8. Improve mobility The Growth Management Strategy recommended that RDC growth be accommodated through a combination of centralization and nodal growth. Relevant to the area covered by this plan, the serviced Hamlets of Benalto and Spruce View are identified as future growth nodes. In addition, the Hamlets of Markerville and Dickson may also accommodate modest and managed future growth in the form of an appropriate mix of residential, commercial, recreational and/or institutional land uses. The capacity for growth is to be based on existing infrastructure, community services and location. In addition, the Growth Management Strategy outlines dispersed growth as a possible, but less desirable option for accommodating growth. There is the potential for accommodating some limited residential development through first parcel out subdivision of farmsteads to create large-acreage residential parcels. Although this option would conflict with nodal growth, it may offset a decrease in farm population in some areas. 2 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Recommended Growth Strategy For Red Deer County, RDC Growth Management Strategy p. 42 The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) established a hierarchy of plans that would help to guide land use and development within Red Deer County (Appendix B, page 37). According to the MDP, a concept plan, when completed in a participatory and transparent manner, may be adopted by Council resolution as a guide document for future development in the area covered by the plan. Urban design plans and area redevelopment plans may also be prepared that should build on and support this concept plan, and further the goals of the MDP. In addition, the Red Deer County Open Space Master Plan (OSMP) is currently (April 2008) in the final phase of preparation by Dillon Consulting and the EVDS Urban Lab. This plan will provide overall concepts for various Red Deer County landscape/cultural zones, including the Medicine River Valley, plus some detailed plans for open space nodes and trails. This concept plan builds on the concepts proposed in the OSMP, and expands on some of the proposals for nodes and trails. Markerville, from RDC MDP p. 17 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 3 1.3 APPROach & METHODOLOgy Approach Three inter-related and inter-dependent principles help to guide the development of this Concept Plan: - enhance the quality of life - create a culture of sustainability - support and enhance a sense of place Methodology Townscape Analysis is a comprehensive approach developed in the Urban Lab as a methodology to understanding of the assets, issues, constraints, and opportunities of the study area that integrates environmental analysis, historic evolution analysis, identification of cultural landscapes, understanding of land use and settlement patterns, and visual analysis. This documentation and analysis was reviewed in several public workshops and open houses, and following that feedback, concepts for the area were developed along with some development guidelines and standards. 4 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Townscape Analysis Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 5 2 TOWNSCAPE analysis 2.1 STUdy AREA The Medicine River Concept Plan Study Area extends from Benalto south along the Medicine River to the north edge of Glennifer Lake in the west end of Red Deer County. The Area includes approximately 180 quarter sections that are within one mile of the banks of the Medicine River. Benalto, Evarts and Markerville are within or directly adjacent to the study area, and Dickson, Spruceview, and Sylvan Lake are nearby. The Study Area contains numerous important cultural and historic sites, many of which were established during the time the first settlers of the area began to lay roots. The picturesque Medicine River meanders slowly between broad hills, and in many places there are views west to the Rocky Mountains. The next sections document and analyze the environmental, cultural and functional aspects of the study area, with the intention of understanding the assets, the constraints to development, and the opportunities that will help to guide this area through the next phases of its evolution. aerial view of Medicine River and Benalto 6 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Study Area Study Area Boundary Township Boundary 11 Primary Highway - Undivided 592 Secondary Highway All Weather Road Fair Weather Road Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 7 2.2 VISUAL Overview 8 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 9 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS The river valley is bordered to the east by a distinct bluff which extends north toward Sylvan Lake. The landscape tapers down to carve out the valley, and ascends back up on the west edge of the study area. A pronounced and undulating hill formation can be seen in the center of the study area which marks the boundary of the Medicine River ESA. view of Medicine River Valley 10 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Topography Study Area Waterbodies Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 11 Watersheds Sylvan/Burnt Lakes Basin Tindastoll Basin Medicine River Basin Raven River Basin Red Deer River Basin The Medicine River drains to the south east into the Red Deer River Basin. Several tributaries drain into the Medicine River. slough 12 Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study Hydrology photos summer 2007 Study Area Waterbodies Floodplain Water flow direction source: Red Deer County GIS Medicine River Valley Concept Plan and Study 13 River Characteristics The Medicine River has an irregular meander pattern which carves out river walls between 100 and 800 m wide (Alberta Environment Flood Risk Mapping Study, 2007). Although the study area spans 32 kilometers from north to south, the actual length of the river along this path exceeds 60 kilometers, creating a much longer riparian zone. The normal conditions of the river (apart from seasonal high water levels) present a slow moving channel of water which freezes over during winter. The river bed is composed almost entirely of sand, a characteristic of the flood-prone lands toward the central- south end of the study area (Environmentally Significant Areas of Red Deer County, 1990). The flood risk mapping study conducted by Alberta Environment acknowledges the lands extending from Markerville south to the confluence of the Medicine River and the Red Deer River as a “clearly identifiable ... [but] discontinuous” floodplain, indicating the dynamic nature of the Medicine River (Alberta Environment, 2007). The photos on the next page - submitted by a local farmer - were taken from an airplane in the spring of 2006. They depict stretches of the river near the north end of the River Road on a typical flood year, and illustrate the extent to which the Medicine River floods. This direct observation makes up for the lack of clear documentation. Although flood risk management studies are available for the stretch of the river from Markerville south to the confluence, and at the water station in Eckville, little research has been done on the section of the river spanning between those two points.
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