Rocky View County is inviting Conrich residents and landowners to help shape two neighbourhood plans, with a public workshop scheduled for Oct. 26 as planning advances beside Chestermere.
The session will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Manor, 300 Prince of Peace Way. Participants will discuss ideas gathered during the project's first round of public engagement and provide further feedback on the hamlet's future.
The work covers Conrich's northwest and southeast neighbourhood areas. It will consider where housing, businesses and institutional uses could fit, along with parks, trails, open spaces and connections between streets.
For Chestermere readers, the connection is geographic: the larger Conrich planning area borders the city to the south. Decisions about the hamlet form part of the changing regional landscape immediately beyond Chestermere's boundaries.
The County says its project team is reviewing submissions from the initial engagement phase. A report summarizing that feedback will be published on the project's engagement page.
Council approved the neighbourhood planning terms of reference on July 7. The project follows interest from landowners who want to move ahead with development within the hamlet.
The plans are intended to coordinate roads and servicing across the two neighbourhood areas, while following the direction of the existing Conrich Area Structure Plan.
Technical studies and a servicing strategy are part of the work. The County's schedule places collaborative design activities between August and November, followed by circulation and presentation of a final plan to council between December 2026 and March 2027.
That schedule describes the planning process; it does not establish a construction date for future neighbourhood development.
Conrich's broader area structure plan covers approximately 4,411 hectares, or 10,900 acres, containing residential, industrial and agricultural land. It was adopted in December 2015 and took effect in 2017 following a Municipal Government Board decision.
A separate Greater Conrich Area Review is also underway. That review addresses planning outside the hamlet boundary, while the neighbourhood project provides more detailed direction for land within the hamlet.
The review is considering changes to the planning boundary and policies, including land for community services such as public recreation and emergency services. Those changes remain proposals within that review.
Road improvements are advancing through a separate capital project.
The County has approved the construction budget for the first phase of the Township Road 250 realignment at Conrich Road. That phase includes two lanes, a new CN Rail crossing and traffic signals at Conrich Road.
Work west of the railway tracks is scheduled for 2026. Construction east of the tracks is scheduled for 2027, following the relocation of two ATCO high-pressure gas pipelines.
A future second phase would widen the road to four lanes. The County lists the first phase's overall construction period as 2026 through 2027.
Recreation planning is moving ahead as well.
At its Sept. 22 meeting, council directed administration to advance the Conrich Outdoor Recreation Project, identifying multi-use outdoor courts as the preliminary preferred amenity following community consultation.
Council also cancelled the Cambridge Park Parking Lot Project and redirected approximately $280,000 in remaining funding to the recreation project.
Administration was instructed to discuss possible operating roles and responsibilities for the proposed courts with the Cambridge Park Homeowners' Association, covering phases one and two.
The courts remain a proposal under development. The September decision directed further planning and discussions about how they could operate.
Residents and landowners interested in the Oct. 26 neighbourhood workshop can register through the County's Conrich Neighbourhood Plan webpage. Project information and engagement updates are available through the County's Your View website.
Questions about the neighbourhood planning work can be sent to planning_policy@rockyview.ca.