Gateway Village, a recently-approved residential-hotel development, is a dream come true for local developer Dick Koetsier.
Sixteen years in the making, the development will include a restaurant, mall, a 120-room hotel, 170 rental and owned residential units, pathways, a pond, an amphitheatre, and more.
Back in 2005, when Koetsier purchased the land along the Elbow River in Bragg Creek, his plan was to build a development when the time was right.
“When I first saw the land I thought this is the perfect spot for a Hotel, overnight accommodation, because there wasn’t anything like that in Bragg Creek,” Koetsier said.
Bragg Creek has a lot to offer in close proximity to the City of Calgary, and the $100-million Gateway Village proposal will complement the existing hamlet while providing some of the things it’s currently missing, he added.
Koetsier hopes to get shovels in the ground this fall with phase I, which includes the Steak Pit Restaurant, The Old West mall with retail and residential, and a stormpond.
Koetsier owned the old BBQ Steak Pit restaurant, which he lost in the southern Alberta 2013 flood.
“What happened was that the same day my house floated away, the Steak Pit flooded as well,” he said.
After the restaurant was torn down, he pledged to donate the land to the local senior housing group, Rocky View Foundation.
Following the flood, Koetsier got involved in advocating for vital flood mitigation upstream of Bragg Creek at McLean Creek. That project would have alleviated the need for berms and walls to be built near the river in Bragg Creek.
Despite losing the battle for flood mitigation at McLean Creek, the berms constructed along the river provide flood protection that made the large development a feasible project.
“Now is the time and since we sold land to the County for their berms, we’ve been working towards a plan for what I wanted. Hotel, housing, commercial, and some open space. We have walkways, an outdoor amphitheater that will be sort of an outdoor plaza,” Koetsier said.
Koetsier described his vision for Gateway as a Rubik’s Cube that he has been trying to figure out for a long time, and now things are finally lining up.
Most importantly, he said, is attainable and affordable housing that will provide necessary space for the workforce in Bragg Creek.
He explained that Bragg Creek offers mostly rural housing on larger plots of land, which limits availability for locals.
“Just the housing is going to really help the local economy, having places for staff to live here and work here. It’s always a challenge,” Koetsier said.
With a great team of developers, planners, and engineers, The Gateway Village was approved on May 4.
“I’m still kind of numb about it at all and we got unanimous support from the council which is something that not every developer gets,” Koetsier said.
Neil MacLaine, from the Bragg Creek and Area Chamber of Commerce said they are in favour of any development that falls within the guidelines of the area structure plan and they believe having a range of residential options is good for the community.
“Bragg Creek doesn’t offer a lot of options particularly for young people who maybe can’t afford the buy-in of a single family home with a [couple] of acres around it and also for seniors who don’t [want] the maintenance and other burdens of having a large property,” MacLaine said.
Koetsier will maintain ownership of the Steak Pit and the Old West small, including over 30 attainable housing apartments.
He has yet to find an operator for the hotel, but the bare land condominiums will be managed by a condominium board responsible for keeping the space maintained and the storm water system running.
Over half of the project is made up of residential properties and adds about 170 units of housing to the community.
“It’s an expensive project but it’s needed and we totally see that the market is strong for what we’re offering,” Koetsier said.
While not every resident is happy about what this means for the quiet hamlet, Koetsier has learned that you can’t make everybody happy.
The project received over 65 public hearing letters in support, six with some concern, and nine letters in opposition.
Koetsier noted that the area already sees a lot of traffic and instead of Bragg Creek being a runway for vehicles into the mountains, the development should offer a reason for visitors to stop and stay.
Masha Scheele, HCN Staff
media@highcountrynews.ca
