Ask the majority of Lundbreck residents what they think of their hamlet and most will tell you the same thing — life there is good. A new growth study built on that foundation maps where the foothills community of about 290 people could go from here.

The MD of Pincher Creek laid out a detailed blueprint at an April 16 open house. The Lundbreck Hamlet Growth Study, prepared by the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, examines existing conditions, maps out its constraints and identifies where growth can logically happen.

Reeve Rick Lemire, Couns. Tony Bruder, Jim Welsch and John MacGarva, and about 20 residents turned out at Lundbreck Community Hall, where senior planner Gavin Scott walked the crowd through the findings.

The ORRSC was commissioned under the MD’s municipal development plan, which identifies planning for future hamlet growth as a priority within its broader land use strategy, and began the process in fall 2024.

A survey sent to all 129 Lundbreck households drew 31 responses.

Most respondents are satisfied with life in Lundbreck. Long-term residency is common and residents point to peace and quiet, small-town character, mountain access and a local K-12 school as key strengths.

Concerns include uncontrolled dogs, limited bylaw enforcement, property upkeep and noise from a nearby cement plant. A majority also call for increased law enforcement presence.

What the study found

The study painted a picture of a small but stable community.

Population has fluctuated between 234 and 289 people over the last two decades, according to Statistics Canada census data.

The 2021 census put Lundbreck’s population at 289, its highest point in recent history, and identified 145 private dwellings within the hamlet boundary.

More than half of current housing was built between 1961 and 1980. The majority of homes are single detached and 87 per cent of households are owner-occupied.

The 2024 assessment roll values the hamlet at just over $41 million, of which $34.7 million is taxable. Demographically, the study notes a gradual increase in both young families and seniors over 70, while the proportion of residents aged 20 to 34 remains low — a trend identified as a long-term challenge.

Growth constraints

The study identified a range of factors that limit or shape where Lundbreck can grow.

Highway 3 runs along the northern boundary of the hamlet and Alberta Transportation actively discourages communities from expanding across highways due to safety and servicing complications. The CPKC railway also runs along the north side, adding a further 40-metre buffer that restricts development.

To the west, former coal mines present a significant constraint, extending south outside the hamlet boundary and into the quarter section to the southeast. Steep slopes in the southwest corner further limit expansion in that area.

To the east, sewage lagoons require a 300-metre buffer from their perimeter, which restricts residential development in that direction.

Two former gas station sites remain within the hamlet, one partially remediated. Historic buildings, including the Doukhobor Prayer Home and Lundbreck Trading Post, require provincial clearance for nearby development but are not considered major constraints.

The potential twinning of Highway 3 is another variable with significant implications.

Growth potential

Despite these constraints, the study identifies lands to the west, south and east as potential long-term expansion areas totalling about 92 acres.

The easterly land was identified as the most serviceable, sitting within reach of the existing gravity sewer trunk main and requiring only an extension of the water line from the current street network.

The westerly area, which includes a parcel of MD-owned land, would require a sanitary lift station to be viable for residential use.

The study noted most of this land is privately owned and landowners are under no obligation to sell or subdivide.

“The people that own those empty lots are really not obligated to sell them, but it does kind of illustrate what we’ve got,” says Division 5 Coun. John MacGarva, noting the landowner of the primary eastern growth area was present and heard the study’s findings firsthand.

Based on projected growth, Lundbreck could reach between 322 and 369 residents by 2046, depending on growth rates. The study concludes no immediate boundary expansion is required.

At a projected 2.5 to three per cent annual growth rate, and assuming existing vacant and infill lots are developed first, the community has enough internal land to absorb growth for at least the next 20 years.

Active promotion of development could change that scenario.

Water, sewer and infrastructure

The Cowley-Lundbreck Regional Water Treatment Plant services the hamlet and the study found sufficient potable water capacity for growth.

Significant upgrades to the internal water distribution system were completed in 2010. Sewage is treated at lagoons east of Lundbreck and a 2025 wastewater assessment found the lagoons have sufficient capacity for current and 25-year design flows at a one per cent growth rate, with no upgrades currently required.

The study notes that increases in population growth rate should trigger a reassessment of both water and sewer capacity.

The open house

Scott’s presentation was well-received. Visual boards displaying maps were arranged around the room for residents to review before and after the formal presentation.

“Gavin didn’t have many questions at the end,” says MacGarva. “I think that’s generally a sign of a good presentation.”

What happens next

Officials emphasize the study is not a statutory plan and does not change land-use rules. It is intended as a planning guide for future decisions.

“Council will have the opportunity to have further discussion with the residents of Lundbreck if they would like to implement it into a statutory document,” MD development officer Laura McKinnon says.

MacGarva describes the document as a living reference and says the study should not be mistaken for something destined to sit on a shelf collecting dust.

“You make these plans, and then something can come along that puts a little pressure — good pressure — on a community to expand. And you never know,” he says.

The study is available online at mdpinchercreek.ab.ca.