Shepard, Alberta

Shepard
Former hamlet
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
City	Calgary
Quadrant	SE
Ward	12
Annexed	2007
Government
• Administrative body	Calgary City Council
• Alderman	Shane Keating

Shepard is a residential subdivision on the eastern periphery of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Until 2007, it was an unincorporated hamlet and previously part of Rocky View County. It was annexed by the City of Calgary in July 2007.

Prior to its annexation, for many years Shepard was located just outside the eastern boundary of the City of Calgary, several kilometres south of the Trans-Canada Highway at the intersection of 84 Street S.E. and 114 Avenue S.E. Shepard is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) east of Calgary's city centre. Once completed, the Stoney Trail ring road will pass to the west of the subdivision.

History

A rail station was built at Shepard by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1884. It was named after one of the partners of Shepard and Langdon, railway contractors. A school opened in 1886 followed by a church in 1890. The post office opened for four months in 1903 and then reopened from January 1, 1905 until March 8, 1966. It remains primarily a residential subdivision with some commercial businesses and its own community hall. It is physically separated from other communities by an industrial area (Shepard Industrial), undeveloped land and the future Stoney Trail freeway extension.

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2011 Census, Shepard had a population of 10 living in 5 of its 6 total dwellings, a -50% change from its 2006 population of 20. With a land area of 0.05 km² (0.019 sq mi), it had a population density of 200/km² (520/sq mi) in 2011.

Annexation

In June 2006, the City of Calgary and Rocky View County (then the M.D. of Rocky View No. 44) reached an agreement for Calgary to annex a large area of land from the municipal district, including Shepard.

The annexation became final upon approval by the Alberta government on July 31, 2007. According to MapArt's Calgary & Southern Alberta Street Guide 2009 Edition, Shepard's streets, previously numbered 1 Street through 5 Street, were renumbered as 85 Street S.E. through 89 Street S.E., while Beulah Vista Road became part of 114 Avenue S.E. to come into line with Calgary's street-numbering system. The only original road name remaining is Rochon Avenue.

In early 2008, the City of Calgary began the process of redesignating and rezoning land within the 2007 annexation areas, including Shepard. A February 22, 2008 proposal called for most land in the subdivision to be redesignated "FUD" for "future urban development".

After annexation, the City of Calgary indicated that municipal services such as water and sewer would be extended to the former hamlet by 2010; as of 2013, however, the City has indicated it may be 2030 before that occurs. However, in May 2013, city council debated a development plan for the region that, if approved, will see urban development for as many as 27,800 people take place in the coming years.

Shepard is bordered on the west by 84 Street S.E., to the north by a rail line, and to the south by 114 Avenue S.E. (also known as Beulah Vista Road). It is immediately north of Ralph Klein Park, a large greenspace which was developed in the late 2000s.

See also

• List of designated places in Alberta
• List of neighbourhoods in Calgary

References

• Karamitsanis, Aphrodite (1992). Place Names of Alberta – Volume II, Southern Alberta, University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta.
• Read, Tracey (1983). Acres and Empires – A History of the Municipal District of Rocky View, Calgary, Alberta.

External links

• Rocky View County's official website
• Rocky View Community Profile on Alberta First
• Calgary-Edmonton Corridor in Alberta