BANFF – Terminus infrastructure to pave the way for an aerial gondola from the Banff townsite to Mount Norquay ski and sightseeing resort has been removed from the redevelopment plan for the railway lands.
Given Parks Canada’s clear and consistent stance that an aerial gondola goes against national park policy and legislation and is de facto expansion of the ski hill, council opted to take a proposed gondola terminus out of the area redevelopment plan (ARP) for the train station lands on Monday (April 22).
A major expansion of the parking lot at the Fenlands recreation centre on the north side of the tracks to accommodate 600-plus vehicles in or near a critical wildlife corridor stays in the ARP, but council asked administration to draft amendments clarifying an assessment of the pros and cons of environmental impacts is needed and for rehabilitation of a conservation area sooner than the developers had planned.
Mayor Corrie DiManno said while the 2010 park management plan considered the feasibility of an aerial gondola from the townsite to Mount Norquay, that clause was not carried forward or reflected in the 2022 management plan, and in fact, the plan is silent in this regard.
She said there is no other applicable Town of Banff policy direction that compels the municipality to further explore the feasibility of an aerial tramway system or related components at this time, and said an aerial tramway system is subject to federal regulatory processes beyond the scope of the ARP.
“(An ARP) can be amended accordingly at the appropriate time to accommodate a gondola terminus, should an aerial tramway be endorsed by the government of Canada in the future,” said DiManno.
That said, council ordered a new section be drafted for the ARP with an emphasis on future multi-modal forms of mass transit options consistent with the recommendations of the Parks Canada-struck expert advisory panel on moving people sustainably in Banff National Park.
Council said this section should provide an overview of potential for future and new modes of transit, including, buses, autonomous shuttles, on-demand vehicles, trains, bicycles, ride-sharing services – and aerial transit – based on the panel’s recommendations.
DiManno said the expert panel encouraged examination of new modes of transit and recommended “Parks Canada should be open to considering new and emerging modes of transportation such as autonomous shuttles and aerial transport”.
“The Moving People Sustainably report will guide the Town of Banff and Banff National Park into the future and so it is imperative that the ARP is in alignment with the strategies outlined,” she said.
Jan and Adam Waterous developed the ARP for their vision for a multi-modal transportation hub on the railway lands at the west entrance to town, complete with the return of passenger rail from Calgary, an aerial gondola to Mount Norquay ski resort, intercept parking for more than 1,000 vehicles, restaurants and retail stores.
Through their personal holding company Liricon Capital, which also owns Mount Norquay ski resort, the Waterous’ secured a lease from Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway to put forward their ARP for about 17.5 hectares on the north and south side of the train tracks.
Jan Waterous said she is thrilled council recognized in the ARP the significance and importance of mass transit opportunities identified by the expert panel’s report.
She said by broadening the language used in the ARP from gondola terminus to include other multi-modal transportation systems that include aerial transit, council has embraced Liricon’s vision for a ground zero hub to manage vehicle congestion and reduce transportation emissions.
“This more ambitious and inclusive comprehensive categorization is additive and better describes the overarching intent and opportunity for the ARP in the national park to achieve more accessible and inclusive mobility options for all users and people of all abilities,” she said.
“The inclusion of aerial transit in the ARP as a potential transportation mode preserves the opportunity for this aspect of the project to be a revenue source and make free intercept parking economically sustainable.”
Conservation groups had called for no development on the north side of the tracks, arguing the addition of another 400 stalls would compromise an already narrow travel route for animals like bears, wolves and cougars in the Fenlands-Indian Grounds wildlife corridor.
They worry the cumulative effects of development in the Bow Valley, which includes recent approval of a massive housing development on Three Sisters lands outside the national park in Canmore and a proposal for a gondola at Silvertip, will make it even harder for wildlife to travel through this busy region.
While council didn’t remove the parking lot from the plan, believing intercept parking will help improve traffic congestion in town, they directed additional wording be drafted to clarify the proposal to expand the Fenlands parking lot would be subject to the federally legislated Impact Assessment Act.
It calls for any environmental assessment to take into account any positive or negative consequences to environmental conditions and mitigation measures that are technically and economically feasible to mitigate any significant adverse effects from expansion of the parking area.
Currently, the ARP calls for use of vegetation to enhance the sand dune as a natural berm to guide animal travel around the Fenlands recreation centre, as well as restoration of 0.93 hectares of brownfield industrial lands to a naturally vegetated state, and enhancements to the existing 4.3-hectare vegetated area.
Council also asked administration to draft amendments to the phasing stages of the ARP, calling to move up rehabilitation of the conservation area on the north side of the tracks within five years of adoption of the ARP.
DiManno said she heard conflicting information about whether or not the proposed intercept parking lot would fall within the wildlife corridor.
“The No. 1 question I have is do we believe that this is within a wildlife corridor?” she said.
“My understanding is that based on some of the maps that we have from Parks Canada that it is not within it, but then we’ve heard those are inaccurate maps.”
Michael Hay, manager of environment and sustainability for the Town of Banff, said wildlife corridors generally aren’t rigidly defined by a line on a map.
“Through all the impact assessment work that I’ve done with Parks Canada, generally speaking, the definition of wildlife corridor is any area that is being used by wildlife,” he said.
“In the case of the Fenlands-Indian Grounds wildlife corridor, we know roughly what that means; it’s the area between the highway and the built-up areas of the town, and that is a somewhat fluid concept.”
New maps based on GPS collars and tracking data, which were released by Parks Canada earlier this week, show the area, including by the railway lands, is heavily used by grizzly bears, cougars and wolves.
The new 2022 management plan for Banff National Parks tells the Town of Banff to develop a new community plan that outlines how the municipality will meet the principle of no net negative environmental impact at a community scale.
“In that spirit, I would suggest that council should be finding ways to ensure that all of its decision-making is able to support that,” said Hay.
“The impact assessment process is probably the best tool we have to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed developments and I would certainly hope that it will be undertaken in a fulsome way for this ARP.”
Peter Duck, president of Bow Valley Naturalists, said the local conservation group is grateful town council has given careful consideration to the ARP, proposed amendments will allow for further consideration.
“BVN are pleased that the gondola reference that Parks Canada has been saying no to for a long time has been removed and consideration of aerial transit now has its appropriate place among a whole range of alternatives that the moving people report referred to,” he said.
Duck said the amendment to clarify the requirement for an impact assessment would take a more careful look at what happens on the north side of the tracks.
“It’s not clear from the amendments that were put forward what form that will take, but it sounds like there was some sensitivity to that location and we’ll look forward to seeing how administration responds to that,” he said.
“We still think that this is messing with an important wildlife corridor, and in addition, that particular piece of ground has a whole range of valued ecosystem components that need careful consideration.”
Another key council amendment to the ARP is change in the timeline for residential redevelopment to within five to 10 years. A clause is being added that future developments involving expansion or floor area or intensity of use are required to provide housing for staff as a condition of development approval.
Coun. Barb Pelham said both amendments on housing and the conservation area rehabilitation work were consistent with recommendations of the Municipal Planning Commission and several public submissions.
“Just in case the developer wishes to accelerate that residential redevelopment, council would be thrilled because we’re in a housing crisis,” she said. “We’d love it earlier if possible.”
All amendments were made after an approximately hour-long in camera meeting, which included the Town of Banff’s lawyers. The plan will be brought back for second reading, then final approval at a future council meeting once administration has drafted the amendments.
DiManno said the ARP is an important moment in Banff’s history with an opportunity to transform a key gateway into the community.
“This plan gives us a clear vision to revitalize and rehabilitate this under-utilized area,” she said.
“We see the potential to make this a cornerstone of the visitor experience and meet so many of the corresponding policy objectives.”
