City and County of Lacombe sign historic agreements

The City and County of Lacombe have signed a pair of historic joint agreements that aim to lead the way for the servicing and future development of lands at the western edge of Lacombe near the QE2 and Highway 12 interchange.

The Joint Economic Area Servicing Agreement includes details how services will be provided and the costs associated with them. While the Capital Project Contribution Agreement details how the shares of the project will be paid and how construction will move forward.

Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie is elated with the agreements, saying “I trust that this relationship and partnership will go forward into the future to enhance economic development not only in the City but in the County which benefits the whole region.”

Christie adds, “We can work together in attracting businesses, which we do already but the joint revenue sharing is a big plus for the City and services is a big plus for the County”. Christie further points out “This partnership is the key to more development on our borders.”

Lacombe County Reeve Paula Law feels great about the agreements.

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“It’s been a long time coming and I’m very honoured and proud to be part of it,” she said. “To me this symbolizes how well that the urban and rural communities can work together and what you can accomplish when you do work together.”

Law also points out, “There’s an Area Structure Plan for that area and there’s certain areas that have been identified for Highway Commercial, some for Industrial and I believe in another area, there’s the possibility for residential in there.”

It’s a milestone years in the making for both municipalities after the pair signed a Joint Economic Area Agreement back in 2007. In addition to these agreements, the City and County also created a Memorandum of Agreement with the North Red Deer River Water Services Commission. This M.O.A. will ensure that the necessary County water allocation will flow through the City’s infrastructure to the Lacombe West Area, without affecting the City’s water allocation.

City officials say the West Area Servicing Project will facilitate the development of the Midway Centre Outline Plan, which includes major commercial development and high density residential at the western edge of Lacombe. For Lacombe County, the servicing will lead to the creation of 258 hectares of serviced land on the west side of the QE2 for future development. The $15.1 million price tag for the West Area Servicing Project also includes a $3.5 million upgrade of the 76 Street and Highway 12 intersection.

Next steps for the privately owned land include rezoning and development agreements with the private developer.