Woodlands County is getting excited about a new development potentially coming to Blue Ridge.
At Woodlands County’s March 17 meeting, County council held a public hearing on the development plan for a new housing development for the hamlet.
The development, to be called Blue Ridge Country Estates, would see the southeast corner of Blue Ridge subdivided into 300 single family lots.
No one showed up to the public hearing to speak for or against the development, but County administration said they did receive one letter in favour of the development. They also received a phone call calling it, “the best thing ever done for the hamlet.”
Several county councillors also shared the positive feedback they have been hearing from their constituents about the development.
Councillor Jeremy Wilhelm shared that he has friends in Blue Ridge, and they seem very excited about this.
Councillor Peter Kuelken was also excited, saying the more people that move to rural areas, the better things can get.
County council did raise some concerns. Councillor Alan Deane was curious as to why the plan called for cisterns and septic tanks, rather than digging wells or tying into Blue Ridge’s water and sewage infrastructure.
The developers were on hand to answer questions, and according to them, those options are currently cost-prohibitive.
Deane wanted to know if the option would be available for a potential lot owner to dig their own well. County administration said there is, but they usually require the owner to do their own engineering.
County reeve John Burrows wanted to know if the developers had considered broadband internet in their infrastructure plans, as increased access to broadband internet in rural areas is becoming a growing concern. The developers said it is not something they had considered yet.
As the land is currently zoned as reserve district, Woodlands County council has to approve the development plan before development can move ahead. Woodlands County moved to approve the plan.
