Permissions granted for local Hutterite Colony to update local facilities

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Hutterian Brethren Church of Springvale (Springvale Colony) is being granted permissions and means to expand and update their local housing facilities.

Wheatland County council voted, May 19, to redesignate approximately 303 acres of land from Agriculture General District to Direct Control District in order to facilitate such anexpansion. 

“This is normal practice for colonies. We do direct control because … there are so many different varieties of land use there. It helps us out and helps with planning.” said Reeve Scott Klassen.  

Direct control district allows for a variety of land uses within the Springvale Colony such as for schools, dwellings, churches, and agriculture – among several others. 

Currently, the Springvale Colony is developed with approximately six multi-unit dwellings, accessory structures, storage buildings and granaries. 

Also established on their subject lands is a multi-species confined feeding operation which supports local livestock.

“The redesignation and the process that we are in now is just to replace our house and we would like to move forward with that as quick as possible,” said Daniel Gross, minister and president of Springvale Colony. “This is a plan to rebuild all of the housing, starting with the five units that we proposed, and eventually we will have probably 25 units total to house what we had before. We have 87 members now, and 25 units will probably be good for 125 to 150 people.”

According to county administration’s report to council, the colony is proposing to construct a townhouse dwelling to support its residents.

Details and requirements for such a development will be assessed once it reaches the development application stage.

Prompting the discussion, the Springvale Colony had sent the county a letter requesting the permission of the redesignation process. 

Indicated in the letter, alongside the Colony’s 108-year history within the region, are concerns regarding their access to water via the Rosebud Creek, as well as local wells. 

Though the letter does not necessarily indicate the initiation of drilling new wells, it does discuss the registration of local wells, the colony’s willingness to comply with provincial regulations and processes, and notation regarding the wastewater lagoon developed approximately 40 years ago. 

County administration noted assessments and technical studies of the existing lagoon will be required in order to demonstrate its continued feasibility come the development stage of the proposed new lodgings. 

Council voted unanimously to approve all three readings of the required bylaw to redesignate the agricultural general district lands, supporting the Springvale Colony’s request. At the time of the meeting, no further development or scheduling information was made publicly available.