Economic and employment opportunities in

Project Understanding

Carstairs is a small town located in Alberta, Canada with a total population of 4,415 (2016 Census). Located on Edmonton-Calgary corridor, Carstairs is experiencing population growth rate of %17. As it is now, the predominant form of future development in Carstairs will be residential. Approximately 77 percent of the housing stock is single detached dwellings. Other forms of low density housing, such as semi-detached dwellings and manufactured homes, made up another four percent of housing units. The remaining 19 percent of the housing stock was in the form of apartments, fourplexes and row housing (MDP). The vision of MDP for Carstairs is “building a vibrant, affordable and sustainable community, offering an unsurpassed quality of life.” To achieve this goal, we need a strong downtown commercial core that will serve a growing population. According to the RFP “The planning area is bounded to the north by Downie Street, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) tracks to the east, Highway 581 to the south, and 11 Avenue N to the west.” We will also be considering areas beyond the plan boundary. The downtown improvement plan proposed by URBAN will ensure new development enhances the sense of community and is compatible with the heritage, character and physical setting of Carstairs. It will encourage high quality new development that will contribute to Carstairs’ role as a regional centre for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential uses. The plan will also encourage diversification in land uses to attract new industries to downtown.

Issues and opportunities

Here are some of the issues and opportunities we will face during the project: 1. Carstairs is located on Edmonton-Calgary corridor and this brings economical vibrancy to the town and provides excellent opportunities for future growth and development. 2. people’s preference for small town living attracts families who are seeking affordable life style 3. Economic and employment opportunities in the region or within commuting distance; 4. The availability of recreation and leisure 5. Carstairs’ role as a regional service centre and a commuter community will continue and will attract relative businesses 6. increasing uncertainty and change resulting from fluctuations in the oil and gas sector 7. The amount of commercial development, particularly convenience and service oriented commercial, is expected to increase as the Town’s local market grows (MDP).

Stakeholders

Here are some examples of stakeholder groups according to the Downtown improvement plan:

Residents Business owners First nation population Town of Carstairs Mountain View County Development professional (planners, designers and builders) Tourist population Community members