Future growth - next steps

A big THANK YOU to the residents of Okotoks!

We would like to sincerely thank you for your feedback on the future of our community. We appreciate the varied ways you chose to get involved: taking the time to complete the household survey; attending the consultation workshops and Council meetings; sharing your thoughts online and in one-on-one discussions; through letters to the editor; and/or attending the water and growth speaker series.

What`s Next?

As residents we all share ownership over the future of this community. Our commitment to you is to continue to engage our community with ongoing discussions and clear communications about the process and opportunities for input to build a new and exciting plan for the long term future of our community.

Future growth plans will maintain the values and principles that are important to residents, such as maintaining a friendly, safe and connected community. We will continue to protect the pristine Sheep River Valley, and our commitment to Okotoks as a sustainable community that embraces environmental stewardship. Our local business community also needs continued support to grow our businesses as our community grows to be able to offer more local services as well as for job creation.

We will continue an extensive exploration process to source out all options for short, intermediate and long term water solutions. Okotoks enjoys many successful partnerships to provide services with our neighbours in the Foothills region (High River, MD of Foothills, Black Diamond and Turner Valley) and we will look to them to partner with us on water solutions. Our collective goal is to create an integrated local water solution that addresses all our collective water utility service needs, including adequate water supply and sewage disposal.

Sustainability will continue to be as important as ever as we move into this new chapter. We will strive to nurture and build on the sustainable practices that are important to future generations. We hope you will join us in renewing and strengthening this commitment to the legacy this community has established. As part of our efforts, we will continue to lobby the Province to consider new legislation that will allow for water conservation methods used in other countries. We will pursue new neighbourhoods that reflect environmental sustainable technologies, and we will always continue to protect the natural environment as we grow.

Okotoks has already started the process of working with the MD of Foothills to develop a long term growth plan for land development in proximity to Okotoks. While preliminary work has started, annexing land is a multi-year process. Principles that will guide the plan for growth will include prioritizing locations, determining sound growth projections, and ensuring proper infrastructure is in place, as well as retaining a compact, connected and integrated community that builds on our existing major road network.

We will continue to maintain the balanced development of land to the north and south of the river valley to maintain the Sheep River area as the physical and emotional heart of the community. Growth plans will integrate land use and transportation planning that includes provisions for motorized transport and a pathway system to promote healthy transportation and living. And although transit may not become a reality in Okotoks for some time, it needs to be considered when designing the expanded community.

As we move forward in this new chapter, we commit to you that we will continue to work, live and plan in harmony with the environment and our neighbours, and to maintain the community each of us has grown to love.