DEAD MAN'S FLATS – A potential addition of parking in Dead Man’s Flats will be coming for decision to MD of Bighorn council in May.
The municipality’s governance and priorities committee provided more information for Bighorn staff to aid in guiding possible recommendations at council’s May 14 meeting.
The latest information comes after the MD reached out to all Dead Man’s Flats residents from Feb. 6 to March 10 to get feedback on parking-related topics in the hamlet. They ranged from overnight parking being allowed, if paid parking was needed and if there was enough parking.
“Next steps would be a detailed analysis of council’s preferred parking options," said Jenny Kasprowicz, Bighorn’s senior municipal planner. "Further studies would be needed – possibly further stakeholder engagement – to support whatever option council proceeds with."
In the past, residents have voiced concerns on lack of public parking spots, particularly as visitor accommodations have developed in recent years such as the roughly 100-unit Copperstone Resort and the 107-unit Sparrowhawk Lodge.
The Dead Man’s Flats commercial mixed-use district is relatively new, but several developments have either received permitting or are in the process of doing so.
Bighorn Reeve Lisa Rosvold, who represents Ward 2 of Harvie Heights, Lac Des Arcs and Dead Man’s Flats, highlighted the additional parking may alleviate parking concerns.
“This potential parking could help solve a problem of hotels in the area that don’t have enough parking stalls,” she said.
Rosvold noted council had previously approved amending its land use bylaw to increase the amount of parking required in the highway commercial area of Dead Man’s Flats.
“We are hoping the parking now required will be sufficient. … To let the public know, that is also our wish that parking is provided by the developers who are developing these sites,” she said. “However, there’s still going to be a parking issue and concern going forward and that’s what we are here to do: is solve the problem going forward.”
In 2022, Bighorn council approved an amendment to its land use bylaw to increase the number of parking stalls for visitor, resort and flexible accommodations. It went from being one stall per accommodation to one stall per one-bedroom unit and each added bedroom receives half a stall.
“Dead Man’s Flats has seen increased pressure on local infrastructure due to its rising popularity as a destination for short-term rental accommodation. The influx of visitors, driven by the area’s scenic beauty and recreational opportunities, has led to a scarcity of parking space,” stated the what-we-heard report from McElhanney. “The issue has been further exacerbated by new residential and commercial developments, making efficient management of parking resources a critical need for maintaining the area’s livability and tourist appeal."
Bighorn is in the process of undergoing a 2nd Ave. improvement study for Dead Man’s Flats to identify streetscape improvements and phasing plan. It includes a three-metre multi-use path on the south side of 2nd Ave, a sidewalk on the north side, marked crosswalks, street lighting and addition of about 22 parking spots on the road.
“The study involves the conceptual design of the roadway to determine future upgrade requirements,” stated a staff report. “The draft plan includes an additional 22 on-street public parking stalls along 2nd Avenue, pedestrian crosswalks, and potential for a painted bike lane within the shoulder of 2nd Avenue."
After the main choice of parking on the west of 2nd Street, surveys came back showing the west of 3rd Street and south of 3rd Avenue were the next two top choices.
The draft 2nd Avenue improvements and proposed staging plan would see work north of 2nd Avenue be funded by the MD and work south of 2nd Avenue covered by developers.
Among the most popular options for potential parking were the west side of 3rd Street (Option A), the south side of 3rd Avenue (Option B), west side of 2nd Street (Option C) and the creek access north of 3rd Avenue (Option D).
Other options were the north end of 2nd Street (Option E), the west end of 2nd Avenue on the north of the street (Option F), west of 1st Street near the Trans-Canada Highway (Option G) and provincial land north of 2nd Avenue and east of 3rd Street (Option H).
“It sounds like there’s an agreement A, B and C are viable options, so further to that we can look into the paid parking and overnight parking during the design process,” said Kasprowicz.
The survey went out to 507 landowners – including condo owners – with the hamlet having a population of 377, according to the 2021 census. Tenants renting from landowners were also able to request a survey.
There were 170 online – including 74 responses from visitor accommodation unit owners, 57 from residents and nine from business owners – and 10 written responses received for a response rate of 36 per cent.
Rosvold expressed some concern about the survey, especially with some of the terminology used in the land use bylaw and how it’s referred to in the hamlet by residents, but was overall satisfied with the community response.
“I’m really glad this survey went out to residents and landowners of Dead Man’s Flats to gather their feedback,” she said.
In the survey feedback, the majority of respondents felt there wasn’t enough parking in Dead Man’s Flats, didn’t want to see overnight parking in the commercial area and paid parking shouldn’t be allowed in the commercial area.
The survey gave eight options for parking, with the most preferred being the west side of 2nd Street. It noted residents were concerned about parking capacity, preserving nature and safety, impact on locals, enforcement and regulation and parking management.
The committee also expressed using open houses for ongoing Municipal Development Plan public engagement to hear from Dead Man’s Flats residents on parking options.
“It’s certainly an option. We’re going to be there anyway,” said Hayley Gavin, Bighorn’s director of planning and development services.
