All three Knight’s Crossing bylaws discussed at Raymond public hearing

Posted on November 27, 2025 by admin

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On November 10, the Town of Raymond held Public Hearings for Bylaw No. 1155-25: MDP 958-09 Knight’s Crossing Amendment, Bylaw No. 1156-25: Knight’s Crossing ASP, and Bylaw No.1157-25: LUB 987-11 Knight’s Crossing Rezone. Council and Administration decided to hold the public hearings for all three bylaws at once.

At that hearing, those who were in favour of the proposed development were invited to speak first when the public was allowed to share their thoughts.

Lifelong resident of Raymond, Jordan Jensen, first expressed respect for the passion around the proposed development.

“People care about our town, but strong communities are guided by reason, evidence, and courage, not emotion,” said Jensen. “Some have called this proposal a shift in Raymond’s commercial anchor. Given its proximity to Main Street, it’s more of an extension, a second anchor that complements what we already have. The success of one doesn’t have to come at the expense of the other. It doesn’t replace the heart of town. It strengthens it by creating more circulation, more reasons for dollars to stay here, as well as those dollars from surrounding communities.”

Jensen emphasized that the Knight’s Crossing project and all that comes with it does not have to kill Main Street, and that that would only happen if residents chose to abandon it altogether. Jensen was firm in that he doesn’t believe that will happen due to business owners in Raymond being capable, well-rooted, having wisdom to adapt, and being associated with loyal customers.

“Yes, competition brings change, but much of what we have and love about Raymond exists because prior generations embraced growth and competition, not the feeble, “What if it all goes wrong?” mindset,” said Jensen. “If this proposal is denied, it doesn’t just turn away this opportunity, it sets a precedent. Council’s decision must rest on sound planning, not sentiment, or even sentiment disguised as planning. Raymond’s small downtown, while historic and vibrant, is landlocked and offers almost no room for meaningful commercial growth. Retrofitting or demolishing other buildings can only go so far. And our Municipal Development Plan already identifies the Highway 52 corridor as ideal for future commercial growth. The real risk isn’t in saying yes. It is in saying no. Every time we reject responsible growth, we don’t protect Raymond. We weaken it. Refusing growth means lost investment, lost tax base, and most importantly, lost confidence. In economics, confidence is capital. A major investor’s commitment often becomes the proof another investor needs. Large visible projects such as this signal strength, and smaller enterprises follow. That’s how resilient economies grow. Our founders did not build Raymond by waiting around for consensus. Their vision in 1901 was for a model community that “was built on innovation, enterprise, and progress.” Our ancestors didn’t fear growth or competition. They used it to build the Raymond we’re proud of today. Raymond’s best days aren’t behind us. They’re ahead. And if we truly are where champions live, let’s prove it by welcoming responsible growth and competition even when it’s uncomfortable.”

Raymond resident Sheldon Anderson then spoke, stating that the average household of 2.5 people spends $8,600 per year on groceries, totalling approximately 12.47 million spent on groceries by just the Town of Raymond, so the town could reasonably support multiple grocery stores.

“No socialist protectionist action will change the amount of money spent in Raymond and our business will continue to struggle retaining that millions of dollars,” said Anderson. “Every grocery trip to Lethbridge becomes fuel, food, pharmacy clothes, odds and ends and that money leaves town. We must advocate for the for and change those perceptions, so the money stays here. Research shows pe people seldom purchase outside their community because they don’t find a reason to leave. We need that same feeling here in Raymond, no reason to leave. So instead of trying to stifle and curb all commercial growth that will affect generations to come, and I feel it’s Town Council’s job to encourage growth. We don’t lose small town character by welcoming opportunity. We protect it by keeping our dollars here. Support and startling local business and giving the next generation a reason to stay.”

A Raymond resident identified only as ‘Dexter,’ then spoke about his reasons for supporting the project, stating that those reasons include reducing financial burdens on homeowners, and those who want to come build a house in the community. Dexter stated his belief that more commercial and industrial development is needed to reduce those burdens.

Raymond resident Matt Jensen then spoke about how the members of the community want the community to thrive and stated that Raymond residents go to Lethbridge for virtually everything they need, creating a ‘leakage.’

“If we really want what’s best for Raymond, we need to address this economic leakage that is hurting our businesses,” said Jensen. “Residents who live here are spending their money in Lethbridge. This problem exists right now, and it will continue to hurt Main Street and our beloved and our beloved businesses until we do something about it.  Much of the public discussion has centered around whether crossing a leakage capture will kill our goal of a vibrant downtown, but I’ve come to believe we may never truly achieve our downtown goal until we solve this leakage problem. Until we address the leakage, our main street businesses will always be fighting for the leftover crumbs. It won’t matter what small mom and pop shops come. It won’t matter what beautification we do. If we don’t stop the leakage, we will never truly reach our full potential.”

Council then thanked those who spoke in favor of the development for their contributions to the meeting and then invited those opposed to the development to speak.

Raymond resident Eric Fazelle spoke about how transparency for the project could have been stronger.

“Specifically, I want to speak about closed meetings and the resolutions passed when coming out of those closed meetings,” said Fazelle. “Council spent an estimated 28 per cent of their total meeting time in closed meetings about land use specifically. This seemed a lot to me.”

The amount of time in closed meetings, Fazelle said, has undermined the transparency of the project and significantly reduced the public’s ability to engage. Another concern Fazelle had was regarding the way the prior Council would pass resolutions on matters discussed in closed meetings, and how the minutes did not always properly reflect what was discussed. 

Raymond resident Matthew Anderson then addressed the Municipal Development Plan and posed speculation about whether or not the bylaws are consistent with the Municipal Development Plan or if inconsistencies exist between the two.

Robbie Thompson of Sandy, Utah then contributed to the meeting online and touched upon potential economic impacts that the development could have, stating that there is no data that shares that and that an economic assessment would be useful in this case, as people want more answers than they are currently getting.

Raymond resident Whitney Davis spoke about how in the Town of Raymond’s Land Use Bylaw, cumulative impact to the town is mentioned and developmental impact falls under cumulative impact. 

“There’s been a lot of talk about a developmental impact study not being possible due to information not being available or not being applicable, but I’m happy to report that there is indeed information available to us,” said Davis. “And the best part is it is information that is regularly used by urban planners when doing assessments for towns of our size. These are hallmark studies used in urban planning to generate data and extrapolate it to many different situations, such as the Town of Raymond. We can follow the data trends these studies provide. Just because an analysis hasn’t been done in a town in Southern Alberta doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done for towns in our province.”

Davis went on to explain that the first study shows that big box retail and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers more than they produce while locally owned businesses generate more tax revenue than they cost to service. Point number two, Davis stated, shows how this development will harm the downtown core, and studies prove that within 15 months of a big box retailer opening in a small town, between four and 14 existing businesses close. The next analysis, Davis stated, found that in general, for every $100 spent at locally owned businesses generates an additional $58 in local impact, while $100 spent at a chain store generates only $33 in local impact. Study number four, Davis said, highlights multiple problems with chain stores, such as the fact that chain stores can have a negative impact on residential property values, which in turn affects tax revenue, and she went on to share that a 2022 study found that the presence of a dollar store diminished property values by 16 to 21 percent. Study number five, Davis explained, shows that direct competition with chain merchants will reduce the overall vigor of the local economy and at the same time that the same amount spent with a local merchant yields more than three times the local economic impact than that of a big box retailer. Point number six, Davis explained, is a study that highlights how chain stores displace small businesses, weaken community ties, reduce competition, and contribute less to local economies. Chain stores employ aggressive pricing strategies, forcing local retailers out of business, leading to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers in the long term. The Land Use Bylaw, Davis stated, also allows for subjective opinion to have a say in the decision, and allows for anecdotal evidence and emotion to be considered.

Russ Court, owner of the Raymond Mercantile, then shared his concerns about what impact the Knights Crossing development would have on the businesses that are already present, and on the community at large.

Raymond resident Eric Schmale stated his love for the fact that Raymond is a bedroom community and is on the lower end of its growth projections and also expressed concern that the population isn’t present for such businesses to be considered sustainable. Small also stated that while the Knights Crossing ASP does align with a couple of items in the MDP, such as encouraging commercial growth and diversification of tax base and other things, there are other ways it doesn’t, and there are also statements throughout the MDP that reference maintaining a distinct downtown core for commercial activities and ensuring this small commercial development will have an impact on the viability of the commercial core.

“With the exception of the hardware store, essentially all the business activity and services of our downtown core could fit in and or be replaced by the Knights crossing development, and that is not small scale,” said Schmale. “Our downtown is the heart of the community, and it is a unique, almost Hallmark movie setting. We love that about it. But it’s also much more than that. It’s a living, breathing economic corridor with collectively millions of dollars invested by current business owners. Just the immediate two blocks of our main street generates close to $200,000 in tax revenue, with the added value of profits being reinvested into our community. The investments made by these business owners on Main Street were made in good faith, with the assumption that those investments were safe, as downtown was to remain our economic core.”

Candace Court Heggie then took the floor and described Raymond as a ‘maverick community.’

“In the heading of our town’s Facebook page, it states, “Everyone loves Raymond, a maverick community with tradition, innovation, and where sporting excellence thrives,” said Candace. “From Friday night lights to small town charm, we rally together, embrace bold ideas, and always exceed expectations. What does it mean to be a maverick community? It means that we are independent and we don’t think or behave in the usual way. We go against the grain. This is what has made this such a great community. The evidence of that maverick spirit can be seen in what we’ve been able to achieve since inception. We have accomplished exceptional things by taking exceptional approaches. Raymond does not follow the same playbook as other communities. The Knights Crossing proposal requires us to bend that will of our town to fit their vision and plan. That is not how the Maverick community operates. We welcome competition, but we require that competition to play by our playbook, not their own. This is how we make sure that we protect our downtown and not allow it to be hollowed out. Let’s not pretend that these outside investments have what’s best in mind for our town. Will they invest millions into our community? And will they want it in what will they want in return? They will want to extract those millions and more. And that’s not money that stays and circulates in our town. Free market is coming in and competing at the same game as everyone else, not changing the rules of the game to give yourself an advantage. It has also been suggested that without competition, there is no incentive to modernize and adapt. I will remind you that the businesses already are in competition with the south side of Lethbridge, but all of the main street businesses are already continually modernizing and adapting. You don’t have to look far to see their improvements. None of these businesses are standing still or stagnant. They embrace the maverick spirit and are continually evolving. The only fear that I’ve seen in this process is the fear of missing out. It has been suggested that our community will collapse if we don’t h don’t have the faith to if we don’t have the faith in certain investors. That is a fear-driven argument that we have heard over and over throughout our history. We don’t have to look very far to see communities that have taken the bait only to learn later that the investments did not align with their community’s version. We will not somehow shrink and die if without this particular development, but we will always have been and always will be attracted to investment.”

New resident Leah Karch, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Alberta, prepared a brief presentation, and based her thoughts on her work in planning for small towns including Blackfalds, Lac La Biche, Innisfail, Stony Plain, and Westlock. Karch was firm in that the proposed development will change Raymond and harm the main street developments, and also that the Knights Crossing ASP supports six policies in the MDP, but it also violates several polices, including the declaration that ‘Broadway will continue to serve as the core for commercial development.’

“One of the first things that one learns in urban planning is that big box commercial developments are typically harmful in the long run, especially and almost without question when it comes to small towns and cities,” said Karch. “The National Bureau of Economic Research stated, “Our main finding is that the entry and growth of big box stores has a substantial negative impact on employment growth and survival of single unit and smaller stores that operate in the same detailed industry. The impact is the largest if the single unit or smaller chain store is within one mile and 1 to 5 miles of the big box store. They found that big box stores needed to be at least 5 to 10 miles away. If you vote no to this violating development, there are so many exciting ways that Raymond can move forward in its commercial development which remain consistent with the MDP, and benefit Raymond long term. The future of Raymond is so exciting because we haven’t progressed on the path of commercial development yet. So given that we are at the start line, let’s set the right precedent.  Community development is economic development. They found that communities that incorporate economic and broader longer term community development goals stand to gain more than small towns that take a piecemeal approach.”

Local resident Amanda Ravoy stated that while a commercial development is going to generate tax revenue because any development will, it isn’t as significant of an amount that Council may anticipate and that the Knights Crossing ASP and MDP are not consistent with each other and that the MDP needs to be adhered to.

County of Warner resident Rod Wendorff was firm in that the Knights Crossing development will not be a deciding factor as to whether someone moves to Raymond or does not move to Raymond.

“People move to Raymond for the feel, the schools, the community spirit, the religion, the safety, the walks down Broadway, etc., but not for how many grocery stores or fast-food establishments are available,” said Wendorff. 

Wendorff also implied that the population data used by the developers of Knights Crossing to highlight the need for the development is not accurate.

Raymond resident Kristen Gibb then firmly emphasized that the Town Council needs to ‘follow the curriculum of documents’ that are on the Town website, which includes the MDP, and encouraged them to focus on Broadway and the businesses there and not the proposed development.

Carrie Barry Steed highlighted the previous owner, Bryant Barry, and his legacy, which included keeping the piece of land connected to the Knights Crossing Development an ‘island’ and emphasized the importance of honoring legacy.

Dr. Mike Smith, owner of Raymond Dental Clinic, expressed concern about the ‘worrying trend’ that the corporate takeover plan is and would be to the community.

New resident Diane DeMarco spoke about how she doesn’t see the growth Raymond has experienced in recent years as necessitating the need to bring big box businesses into town and that support should be directed to the businesses that are already present.

“Let’s build Raymond up in the best way that will help us grow and expand and revitalize our downtown core,” said DiMarco.

Snow’s Pharmacy owner Todd Snow then spoke about how he is all for development, but it has to be sustainable and that studies have shown that with big boxes, when big boxes come to town, overall wages go down because of the higher paying jobs at the smaller entities, and the smaller entity businesses close and they can’t pay their employees or they have to cut employees hours and so forth. Snow also stated that local clubs, organizations, and community events suffer because they will lack the thousands and thousands of dollars of sponsorship provided by the local businesses, and that Council will also have to figure out what to do with abandoned buildings and taxes not being paid on empty buildings downtown.

An individual identified only as ‘Lance,’ spoke about when he was given a job as a project manager with Southwest Development, which is the company associated with the Knights Crossing Development, he learned about what the development would really mean for Raymond’s downtown. That education, Lance stated, prompted him to tender his resignation with the company and the new development and the downtown will be ‘going up against each other’ and that perhaps Raymond’s best is just being a ‘nostalgic little town’ that fought off big corporations.

An individual identified only as ‘Grayson,’ stated that local business owners have bolstered the municipal plan more completely than could have ever been planned for or expected and that if the Knights Crossing development goes forward, the community will lose many of those investors and their investments.

Wayne Smith expressed the concern that people who helped build and strengthen the community in the past seem to have no value now and questioned why the Municipal Development Plan is being changed to suit the needs of developers. Smith’s wife, Norma, was adamant that she cannot put a dollar value on what her family has given to this committee to this community, nor does she want to and that her family has felt honored to live in the community and give back to it, and they would like to see that opportunity continue.

Richard Squire was adamant that Raymond does not have the capacity to have the proposed Knights Crossing development in town nor do they have population to warrant the business. Squire was firm in that he and his family would like to see Council vote in favor of making a change that will promote proper investment and growth.

Lindsey McCandless spoke about how she has conversed with an urban developer about the Knights Crossing Project and that developer raised concerns about how such developments have the potential to decimate small towns and the ‘small town magic.’

“There is no interest in the what the community needs or wants,” said McCandless. “They simply follow their formula.”

Derek Hall stated that there is a possibility that the big box development associated with Knights Crossing would act as a deterrent and not an attraction to the future citizens of Raymond and that bigger does not always mean better.

Raymond resident Britney Clark firmly emphasized that there will always be things small towns will have access to, but the feeling of what a small town brings cannot be replaced.

Raymond resident ‘Gerald’ encouraged Council to use their personal insights and relationships with the community to make your authority meaningful and help create a transparent master plan informed by community input.

Raymond resident Barry Wolsey stated that the effect of the Knights Crossing Development will not be a positive one if it is allowed to proceed, as the traffic congestion in the area would be tremendous. Wolsey’s wife spoke about how she and her husband are close enough to the development that they would be directly affected by it due to the issues with traffic congestion it would create.

Jackie Romeril, wife of Fas Gas owner Ken Romeril, stated that if the development goes through, it will greatly affect the business’ customer base and their ability to earn a sustainable living will be threatened and that Council should consider how the proposed Knights Crossing development will affect the town core.

Jesse Harker, owner of a dental office in Raymond, was firm in that the Municipal Development Plan emphasizes protection of the downtown core.

“The Knights Crossing ASP says that ‘collectively these uses will create a lively one-stop destination,” said Harker. “Take them at their word. They want to create a one-stop destination. That does not include downtown. I think the risk of having the development is huge. It puts our downtown at huge risk. What is the risk of having no development? Raymond kind of stays the same. We love Raymond. That’s why we live here. We love Raymond. There’s nothing wrong with Raymond staying the same. It’s an amazing town.”

Council then thanked residents for taking the time to contribute to the discussion about Knights Crossing and elected to close the Public Hearing shortly thereafter.