CANMORE – A 45-unit visitor accommodation and health and wellness spa will soon be under construction in Spring Creek Mountain Village.
Canmore’s planning commission unanimously approved three variances under the Town’s land use bylaw for the hotel and spa at its Wednesday (June 19) meeting.
“I think the requested variances aren’t significant,” said public commission member Brian Talbot. “They won’t have a detrimental impact on the community at large. ... I think there’s community benefit and community benefit to this project outweighs the variances.”
The main variance was for building height since the roof exceeds the maximum allowed height by 20 per cent and about one-fifth of the building is over the maximum height by 10 per cent.
Two additional variances were allowed for wall material for weathered steel as the primary siding for use and to the loading zone.
The bulk of the discussion, however, focused on the use of Cor-Ten steel – also known as weathering or weathered steel – and the Town’s architectural and urban design guidelines in the land use bylaw.
“The change in wall materials, this is used in a lot of developments in the community and reinforces that we need to have [the architectural and urban design guidelines] reviewed and updated,” Talbot said.
Florian Jungen, a public commission member, echoed Talbot’s comments on the guidelines. He noted the Town did community consulting in recent years and had similar comments on potentially reviewing it.
He highlighted the guidelines “are getting to be outdated” and Cor-Ten steel is used on The Malcolm Hotel.
“It’s been considered a luxury material for decades and there’s also an argument it can tie into the mining history of the community,” he said.
Nathan Grivell, a development planner with the Town, said Cor-Ten steel isn’t in the land use bylaw but it’s “high quality steel that serves to enhance the look of the building”.
In addition to the variances, Frank Kernick, the owner of Spring Creek Mountain Village, said solar panels would “most likely” go on the hotel since they’ve done so on other new buildings in the area.
Grivell added other projects in Spring Creek have been constructed to be Built Green gold level, which it has surpassed on all previous projects. He added there will be geo-exchange heating and cooling, which “add significant environmental benefit”.
There were two concerns brought forward by residents on the creek setback and extra noise that may be created by the hotel.
A report from FFA Consultants in Acoustics and Noise Control outlined mitigation being undertaken for the project such as closing the spa and hot tubs at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively. It is also an adult-only facility with a six- to eight-metre glass railing being built at certain areas of the hotel.
Kernick added no trail would be built behind the hotel to reduce noise to residents on the other side of the creek.
The noise study noted the hotel will block sound from vehicle traffic on Spring Creek Drive from reaching homes in South Canmore.
The existing site at 300 Spring Creek Dr. is vacant, but has long been used for parking near The Malcolm Hotel. Once built, the three-storey hotel will have 63 parking spots, including 14 covered spots.
In 2022, Canmore council approved amendments to Spring Creek Mountain Village’s area redevelopment plan (ARP). As part of the change, the amount of visitor accommodation units increased from 200 to 250, a change in the minimum creek setback to allow for two hotels to be closer to the water and creating a specific permitted use for a spa.
The development has to give housing to 25 per cent of the staff, with it estimated to be for 10 staff, according to a staff report, and is part of the condition of development permit approval.
It noted the housing would be at the employee housing project under construction at 500 Bow Valley Trail, which will also house Castle Mountain Home Furnishings and is expected to be completed this year.
Joanna McCallum, one of two council representatives on the commission, highlighted it aligns with the ARP and provides staff housing for employees.
“I appreciate the materials being used to shield noise from adjacent neighbours and I also remind people this is an adult-only hotel, so there will not be the giggle of children,” she said.
