Dead Man's Flats

Development issues in Dead Man's Flats have heated up in recent years as the Municipal District of Bighorn approved new plans. They include residential, visitor accommodation and industrial developments.

Summary

The Municipal District of Bighorn, the area within which Dead Man's Flats is located, is situated on the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies and encompasses about 2,664 square kilometres.
Much of the municipal district is undeveloped, serving as an important natural area east of Banff National Park and north of Kananaskis Country.
It started being developed in the late 1950s and 1960s to offer highway commercial services, including visitor accommodation, restaurants and gas stations.
In the 1990s, a single residential condo development was built and more recently, there’s been some development of a large visitor accommodation development. The hamlet is also seeing construction of single family homes and industrial development.
A recent industrial development in Dead Man’s Flats, which would see 71 acres of land developed for light industrial use in the hamlet along the Trans-Canada Highway, has set off a discussion about wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley.

Timeline: ownership and development

The Municipal District of Bighorn, on the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies, started being developed in the late 1950s and 1960s to offer highway commercial services, including visitor accommodation, restaurants and gas stations.
In the 1990s, a single residential condo development was built and more recently, there’s been some development of a large visitor accommodation development. The hamlet is also seeing construction of single family homes and industrial development.
Recent industrial development of the 71 acre property has set off a discussion about wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley. It’s next to a wildlife underpass, which allows animals to safely cross the highway, that was built with G8 Legacy Funds at the mouth of the Wind Valley.
The Town of Canmore appealed the Dead Man’s development because it would reduce the functionality of the wildlife underpass and have an “unacceptable detrimental effect” on the town. They suggested it would impact wildlife, future economic development, flood mitigation and wildlife conflicts. It was heard by the province’s Municipal Development Board in June 2016. On March 1, a decision by the board denied Canmore's appeal.

Current Area Redevelopment Plan

The area redevelopment plan for the hamlet of Dead Man's Flats was approved in the fall of 1994 due to a number of development pressures and initiatives in the early 1990s. It included a proposed golf course and family destination resort, as well as a new residential condominium.

Council adopted a new Municipal Development Plan in October 1998 and an amendment to the Area Redevelopment Plan to allow new residential and light industrial development areas and the preservation of wildlife habitat instead of a previously proposed golf course and destination resort.

It reduced the area set aside for development.

In 2006, officials updated the redevelopment plan to set long-range planning policies for the next 15 to 20 years.

It can be found here.