The Medicine Hat Speedway, seen in this Nov. 2021 file photo, is one of several community and club facilities that sit on land leased from the city north of the 52nd Street road allowance (represented by the fence) in the city's Northwest. -- NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
A revised plan to create an industrial park in the city’s northwest which could affect a host of local clubs on city-leased land will move to city council next month.
The NW Industrial Park area structure plan (ASP) was sent through the municipal planning commission on Wednesday afternoon.
That provides a basic overarching plan and general schematic for six-quarter sections near Box Springs Road, and includes tripping point to start consultations with the Medicine Hat Speedway, drag strip and other clubs located in northernmost sections.
Those groups gave brisk reaction to the plan when it was first proposed in the fall, stating it put operations and future plans at risk.
New proposal sees a requirement that when the developer — the city’s land department – had 75 per cent of the land in the south under contract, council would need to approve further negotiations.
Commission chairman Coun. Darren Hirsch said that, in practice, it meant major portions would be under the direct control of council, which would have a duty to approach the clubs concerned.
“There are a lot of entry points,” he said. “This (ASP) is the first step in a very long process, and the application has the ultimate say going to council.
“If you minus the clubs, it’s a pretty straight forward development that makes a lot of sense,” he added. “But, the clubs are there and we’re sensitive to that.”
The commission approved the document, which moves to council for a public hearing in March, by a 5-0 vote.
It states development would move south to north in the 900-acre area that could see 720 acres zoned for heavy industry with some land on the edges set for lighter industry and infrastructure.
It’s size, capable of providing 100-acre, generally remote parcels, would make it attractive to industrial developers, said city planners.
Such land is in high demand in Alberta, but is limited in Medicine Hat since the SW light industrial area, and Brier Park industrial estate are essentially built out, said planning superintendent Robert Sissons.
City Coun. Andy McGrogan said the key component from council’s standpoint is marketing the land while considering the clubs situation.
“We’ve heard that we’re likely talking about decades (of timeline),” he said.
“There will be a lot more questions about it, I know, but we’ll ferret out the details.”
MPC member Pete Vanderham said the need for up to a one-mile buffer between heavy industry, like chemical production, and other land uses, like commercial, residential or entertainment districts, would make the development difficult to market and may hamper the clubs.
“If I’m one of the clubs, I see a dark cloud on the horizon that’s getting closer and closer,” he said.
An “area structure plan” creates a larger overview and early schematic of how the land could be developed with more detailed work to follow in future documents.
Nathan Arthur of Stantec Consulting said the new plan is written to create a protocol for talks between the developer and nearby users.
“There are a lot of entry points in the document that the clubs have to be made aware of and be included in discussions,” he said.
Development of the northern two quarters, (those north of the 52nd Street road allowance, which may be developed as a new road), could not proceed until the three-quarters of the southern 640-acres was completely built out.
The document states that discussions with existing nearby industrial users Methanex and CF Industries has resulted in a revised approach to accessing a planned circle loop spur rail line within the property.
Planners said those parties are also involved in ongoing discussions as not to hamper operations.
Portions on the eastern side already included the city’s power plant and Hut 8 dataprocessing.
