The long-idle Aurora Business Park Area Structure Plan could have a new life as a mixed-use residential area, should a revised plan called Naato’siyinnipi Area Structure Plan be adopted.

The item will come to the July 21, 2025, Infrastructure and Planning Committee meeting, where councillors will review a fundamental change to the 578-acre parcel in north Calgary.

Since 2008, the Aurora Business Park ASP went unfulfilled, with residents in surrounding communities frustrated by a lack of development. The land is located between 96 Avenue NE, Beddington Trail NW, Harvest Hills Boulevard and the CPKC rail line and with the undeveloped land partially serviced and with connections to surrounding infrastructure.

It was slated for industrial use that never came to fruition. The City of Calgary’s cover report suggests that industrial land west of Deerfoot in north Calgary hasn’t been in high demand due to competition from surrounding areas.

“The Plan area is sloping, contains a central wetland complex and regional park, as well as lands earmarked for future major transit infrastructure – the airport connector alignment, regional rail hub and a maintenance and storage facility,” the cover report reads.

“Together these features make it difficult to position the lands in the northeastern submarket dominated by distribution centres, warehousing, manufacturing, logistics and e-commerce industries.”

Now, the plan is to turn it into a mixed-use residential area, with space for 7,300 new homes and a projected 5,700 new jobs. It’s envisioned as a more transit-oriented community for a Green Line in the very distant future. This option was made available when the Airport Vicinity Protection Area changed in 2021, allowing residential use at this locale.

While the context has changed, the concerns around development haven’t, according to an area resident who has been an advocate for the environmentally-sensitive Nose Creek Valley for years.

North Calgary resident Andrew Yule, who was the former president of the Nose Creek Preservation Society and currently running for city council in Ward 3, said that with the plan’s overhaul should come a complete redesign of the area with the area’s ecology and historical significance taken into account.

“I think when we switch the plan from industrial to adding the residential, we should have started from scratch, because I think what they’re doing is they’ve just taken the same roads and the same form of this industrial ASP, and they’ve just transposed some resident residential into it,” Yule told LWC.

Needs of the north: Yule

The plan was originally approved in 2008 and reflected the needs and the views of Calgary 17 years ago, Yule said.  He said there are parts of the Aurora area that have “been farmed to death” that have little historical or ecological value. These are the areas that should be developed, he said.

However, it should have the needs of Northern Hills residents in mind.

“Northern Hills still has a lot of needs that aren’t being fulfilled in this highly dense Northern Hills area and this little strip of land that could be developed should have the needs of the North looked at, not just the needs of the housing crisis in general,” he said.

Still, there are environmentally important areas, including one of two areas where Western Meadowlark birds nest in the Calgary area. The other is in Ralph Klein Park, Yule said. He said a Golder report commissioned in 2016 said the birds wouldn’t nest in the area if they were pressured by industrial development.

“That doesn’t change if we change it to residential,” Yule said.

Yule said they need to slow down the plan.

“I know there is a housing crisis, and yes, there are potential sites on this land that we should be developing, but I don’t think the plan that, as it stands, is the right plan to move forward with,” he said.  

“We should really just take a step back, take a breath and reevaluate what’s really best for the area.”

Yule, along with others, provided public submissions opposing the current plan. Most cite the environmental aspect and other mention the historical significance of the region.

“The loss of green space would not only impact the bio-diversity that relies on these dwindling grassland habitats, but also the new and surrounding communities that enjoy the area for recreation and as a way to connect with nature,” Maureen Reichert wrote in the public submissions.

“This area has very limited accessible green space and it is being removed at an increased pace the past few years.”

Vacant lands for a long time: Coun. Mian

Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said that the former Aurora Plan just didn’t transpire for a variety of reasons. She felt this was a better use for the area.

“I think the fact that you can have lower intensity uses is a good thing. When I talk to members of the community, I always have to remind them, it’s not in the conversation of whether the area will develop or not, but what type of development do we want to see?” Mian told LWC.

As far as the environmental concerns, Mian said these are always going to be present when the city talks about development. She said much of the plan is already green space, including a large portion of environmental reserve, which means it cannot be developed.

The north and central parts will be where the primary development is, and Mian said further study is needed on area wetlands and on other sensitive lands.

“I think there are members of the community who would say we don’t want to see any development here as a result of the fact that it would impact the environment,” Mian said.

“The truth is, where they live, at one point also impacted the environment. So, it’s a balance we have to strike when we’re building a city. I really do, think that the sensitivity and regulations that we have now are suitable for ensuring that we do the best possible job that we can.”

Mian said it was a big win for the city to have the site renamed to reflect the site’s historic significance to Indigenous peoples. The Naato’siyinnipi name honours a revered Piikani hero, “Brings Dow the Sun.” The plan area is at the meeting point of the Nose Creek and West Nose Creek watersheds and contain archaeological sites and Indigenous Trails.

“I’m very proud to say that the city not only met with the Blackfoot Confederacy, but some members said that it was one of the most positive interactions that they have had with the city,” she said.

“I was at the Indigenous naming ceremony in June where the name was gifted for this plan.  I think that couldn’t and wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t acting as true nation-to-nation partners.  I’m very proud of the city for that evolution.”

Should the item be approved at committee, it would come to the Sept. 9 Regular Meeting of Council.