The growth cap is off for one of Alberta's fastest-growing towns.
Okotoks town council voted earlier this fall to support a continuous growth model for the Foothills community of 25,000, located roughly 15 minutes south of Calgary.
That means rather than sticking with a population cap of between 25,000 and 30,000, Okotoks will look to start annexing land on its fringes in the Municipal District of Foothills. Okotoks was the 10th-fastest-growing community in Canada from 2006-11, with 42.9 per cent population growth.
"Okotoks town council looks forward to working with administration and the public to develop our plans for future development in Okotoks," said Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson.
The town has been seriously studying whether to move beyond the estimated build-out population of between 25,000 and 30,000 since 2008.
While public feedback on the issue has been mixed, Okotoks council believes that a majority of its citizens consider growth inevitable, and that solutions need to be found for the town's future water supply that will allow for the quality of life to be maintained in the community.
The town's primary water source is the Sheep River, but with no cheap access to more water from the river to accommodate growth Okotoks will need to take further steps to buy up existing water licences in the area to allow for growth.
The town also expects it will have success working with the surrounding district on the issue, despite the fact that new Foothill subdivisions are contributing to growth pressure in the community.
Robertson said Okotoks has a long history of successful ventures with its rural neighbour, including development of industrial lands and recreation facilities.
from Western Investor November 2012
