It’s back to the drawing board for Conseil scolaire Franco (FrancoSud) in its search for a suitable location for a new Grades 7–12 school in Cochrane.
Town council has rejected the proposed transfer of municipal land beside École Notre-Dame des Vallées and Mitford School, following a lengthy discussion and three separate votes during Monday night’s meeting.
Twice, council reached a 3–3 stalemate. Some councillors hoped to leave the door open for the school division to revise the layout of the proposed school on the site, but ultimately concerns over parking, traffic, and neighbourhood impact couldn’t be resolved.
Councillor Morgan Nagel was absent, currently away on his honeymoon.
Councillor Alex Reed said the plan just doesn’t work in the existing neighbourhood.
“Really, what is an infill school within a constrained keyhole site embedded in a long-standing, well-established residential community is not appropriate and not sustainable,” he said.
Mayor Jeff Genung agreed, saying the plan raised concerns regardless of how the school was situated on the property.
“I think that solves some of the problems,” he said in response to a suggestion by Councillor Patrick Wilson, “but to me, this really comes down to parking. I’m really concerned about parking in the neighbourhood.
“I think the impact on the existing neighbourhood is too great to take the risk on the next steps for me, so I’m not in favour of a letter of endorsement at this time.”
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Several councillors acknowledged the urgency of the school division’s needs but couldn’t support the location.
“I was really trying to find a way to get comfort saying ‘yes’ to this, but I just can’t,” said Councillor Tara McFadden.
Calling it one of the most difficult decisions the current council has faced, Councillor Susan Flowers initially supported issuing a letter of support due to the demand for a new school.
Although the proposal was turned down, council indicated its willingness to help FrancoSud find a more suitable site.
“What I would like to do—and I think all of us would like to see—is a continued conversation with the administration of FrancoSud, and potentially a partnership with another entity, or even the town itself, on a future piece of land that maybe we even own at this point,” said Genung, “that we could partner on and have a multi-use development there.”
Time remains a pressing concern for FrancoSud. To move forward, the division must secure a shovel-ready site, obtain funding, complete the design, and proceed with construction.
École Notre-Dame des Vallées, located at 132 Quigley Dr., is currently the only FrancoSud school in Cochrane. Built for up to 240 students in Kindergarten through Grade 8, it now accommodates all local FrancoSud students from K–12. Current enrolment sits at 210, and projections show the school will reach or exceed its capacity by the 2027–28 school year.
The proposal called for a 50,000-square-foot school with a parking lot for up to 65 vehicles. The school division considered the site optimal due to its potential to share existing infrastructure, such as bus and parent drop-off areas and field space, with the two neighbouring schools.
A public hearing held the week previous saw residents speak passionately both for and against the proposed location.