Charter School Plan Rejected in Industrial Zone

0:00Calbury City Council just shut down a plan for a K-12 charter school in an industrial zone near Dearfoot Trail and the airport. The vote went 2-12 against it at their April 21st public hearing. Counselors turned down the land use change for an 11-acre spot in the Dearfoot Business Center at 10-20-68 Avenue Northeast. The Calbury Planning Commission had already recommended ditching the idea, pointing to city policies that discourage schools in heavy industrial areas. Full of warehouses and manufacturing, officials flag traffic issues, possible environmental risks from nearby sites, and how it could block future development there. Ward 5, counselor Raj Daliwal pushed hard for it, saying he'd work with the group for months and there's plenty of surplus industrial land until, 2041. He highlighted the kid in the audience excited for classes in September. But others, like Ward 10's Andre Shabot, called it the worst spot in the city. Too close to the airport and not right for kids.

1:02The Rocky Mountain Charter School Foundation is left scrambling now, with no home for about 750 students come fall. They had conditional okay from Alberta education, and believed the big site could handle fixes for concerns like safety buffers. This rejection means the application gets abandoned, forcing everyone to hunt better locations that mix schools with communities instead of factories. Counsel knows the need for more options, but industrial zones stay off limits for now. From your city, powered by AI, this is Calbury News Today. I'm Corey with the story.