On Monday evening (July 10), Cochrane counil voted unanimously in favour of second reading for Southbow Landing.

The neighbourhood will the largest land development in Cochrane and although Councillor Tara McFadden was not fond of approving such a large land use area in the end council supported the motion.

Mayor Ivan Brooker breathed a sigh of relief as sending Southbow back to the drawing board could have been disastrous, in his opinion. "If this would have gone the way it did, I guarantee you it would have been an absolute nightmare to finish off these negotiations. So thankfully Council understood all the parameters at play here and we don't have to understand what those other consequences would have looked like."

It has been a long few years, shares Brooker, "I have been part of working on these negotiations with all four land owners and it has been a long, long couple, three years. As I said in council, I am not prepared to leave at this point in time and not have all of those road dedications because we are this close to having every component of the puzzle in order to make sure the road connectivity with James Walker Trail and the bridge happens. So I was very appreciative and thankful with the way the vote went."

Southbow Landing is a major player in seeing James Walker Trail and the bridge project south of the river come together. James Scott, Vice President of Planning with PBA Land and Development, says he was pleased to have council's support not only in creating what he believs to be Cochrane's next great neighbourhood but also towards laying the ground work for critical infrastructure to come together. "I think that the decision, was the right decision. We appreciate that there are some challenges with Southbow we appreciate that it's one of the largest plans in Cochrane, if not the largest neighbourhood plan that has been approved but we also feel that it has been intended as a master plan as Cochrane's vision that includes core needs for existing residences of River Heights but also future Southbow residents and we are hoping our plan is going to do that for that part of Cochrane so people can rely way less on regional travel to meet their needs."

Even though the plan is large, it won't be built overnight; the long range forecast is for Southbow to take 10 to 15 years of building but infrastructure will be put in place either ahead of growth or in conjunction with it.

With a long range pan of 10 -15 years, although plans can be modified the neighbourhood plan was approved which sets vision and framework which is good news for buyers and the market. "It is expected and common for the vision you set up 15 years ago could potentially change over time, I think that is fairly normal. But I also believe setting the land uses in place now even though they might change slightly over time (not saying they will or won't) it does allow people who start to buy in the community when it's underway and adjacent communities to go 'oh that's what's approved for this area', so it does create more certainty. It's not a 100% guarantee but it does give more of a sense that what they're seeing is going to happen or close to happening."

Scott says there was some concern earlier in the process where questions were raised whether changes to green space could be altered but he says those things can't happen legislatively. "There is other legislation and policies in place provincially and at the town level that would prevent us from doing that. So I think that there should be a level of comfort that for the most part what you're seeing is what you're going to get."

The only part council amended in the reading was to exclude two multi-housing parcels north of James Walker Trail. 

Southbow Landing is set up to include an extensive shopping area as well as multiple school sites.