Calgary prepares for new suburbs and more southern sprawl

Calgary officials may talk big about increasing density inside the city, but they are also preparing to swoop down on farmland to the south, paving the way for future suburbs.

The city and the Municipal District of Foothills have been talking about their shared boundary on Calgary's southern edge.

City council's intergovernmental affairs committee heard Thursday about how they've agreed to share the land in future years just south of the city.

The details were revealed in a map that was circulated at the committee meeting.

The purple area on the map will eventually become part of the City of Calgary. It's marked as the first candidate for annexation to the city and could ultimately become home to 90,000 people.

This area will have easy access to the future extension of theC-Train'sRed Line and will tie in with plans for utility and road networks.

Wildlife corridor

The two sides have also agreed on a greenbelt link that will connect three points: the Tsuut'ina First Nation, the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area and Spruce Meadows.On the map, that's the dark green shaded area.

In this area, there will be no change in development from what's there today. It's an important link for the wildlife that roams in the vicinity.

The blue area on the map could be included in this future city land, but it's marked for some mysterious future provincial road to help commuters reach Highway 2. But the province hasn't made any firm decisions yet.

None of this stuff will be happening for a couple of decades down the line. But city officials say it's important to sort out the details now. It also heads off a future fight when such issues might be more pressing.

Right now, much of this area is farmland, small acreagesandrolling foothills.

And don't worry Spruce Meadows, Heritage Pointe and DeWinton. The negotiations have already determined that those communities will remain in the MD of Foothills, no matter how closely the big bad city creeps up on their boundaries.