A Sturgeon County ham-radio enthusiast hopes county council will support his plans to bring some high-tech green development to Namao and Hwy. 2.
County resident and amateur radio enthusiast Evan Cameron pitched two ideas to county councillors during their April 10 committee of the whole meeting.
The first concerned the 76-acre site along Hwy. 2 just south of Morinville that currently houses the Sturgeon County South office and a number of amateur radio antennas.
In an interview, Cameron said he’s owned land in this region for about 30 years, and runs a radio antenna research station on it. The site’s soils made it unsuitable for crops other than hay, which he grows, and he wanted to council to rezone this region into a new direct control district called a technology business park dedicated to research and innovation.
“We’re looking at what I call ‘soft technologies,’” Cameron said, which he defined as technologies that got along well with neighbours and the environment, such as a solar power station.
Cameron said that the park would be distinct from Edmonton’s Horse Hills Energy and Technology Park, which is focused on the petrochemical industry, and would focus on lighter industries than those found in the county’s other industrial parks. It could draw more businesses to the county, create jobs for youth, and host post-secondary institutions. He did not believe it would require a traffic impact assessment, as it would not host high-traffic operations.
Cameron said he did not intend to develop the park himself, and predicted it would take 10 to 25 years to fill out. He hoped to see his proposal go through within six months, as he was concerned this land might be “frozen” as agriculture by the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board’s upcoming regional agricultural master plan, which seeks to preserve farmland. He had yet to actually submit a rezoning application, however.
“I just want to do something better with the property.”
Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said council would consider this proposal, and noted that Edmonton Global saw technology as the future of economic development in this region.
Net-zero Namao?
Cameron also told council of plans for a potential net-zero development near the United Church in Namao.Cameron said he and a group of church members wanted to make better use of the church’s 3.9 acres. Their hope was to sign a 50-year lease with a non-profit who would build seniors, affordable, or student housing next to the church as well as a new sanctuary for it.
“The project would be built to a net-zero energy consumption standard as a minimum with a goal of being a net energy generator if economically viable,” Cameron said.
The new sanctuary could serve as a performing arts centre for the community and connect with the old church, with the connecting annex possibly serving as a day-care, he continued.
The plan was in its very early stages and was likely five to 10 years from fruition, Cameron said in an interview. He acknowledged to council that it faced considerable obstacles, including the risk that the province would want to reroute Hwy. 37 around Namao before it supported the development and a need to hook into the regional wastewater network.
“It’s a lot of work ahead,” he told council, and the group hoped to work with the county on the project.
In an interview, area councillor Susan Evans said that Cameron had an interesting idea, but that it would be challenging to pull off given the region’s servicing issues. She encouraged him to work with the county’s planning department.
