Balzac

Industrial Crane Buildings in Balzac

A crane building in Balzac must fit a 20-metre height limit, screen its yard from Highway 2 and meet landscaping rules set for the corridor.

Permits through Rocky View County
Kit, erected or turnkey
Building drawings stamped by an Alberta-registered P.Eng.

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Balzac's business land sits on Highway 2 between Calgary and Airdrie, with rail access in the south business area and Calgary International Airport close by. A steel building with an overhead crane is a natural fit for the I-LHT and I-HVY industrial districts in Rocky View County's Land Use Bylaw: both allow buildings up to 20 metres high, which leaves space for a bridge crane, its hook height and the roof structure above. General contractors and construction firms are listed in the bylaw's definition of light industry, and manufacturing and processing fall under Industrial (Medium), which is permitted in I-HVY. The Balzac East Area Structure Plan sets most of the local constraints. Loading and vehicle servicing areas should sit at the side or rear of the building. Outside storage, including trucks and trailers, must be screened from Highway 2. Lighting must be shielded to protect the airport and the highways. Landscaping runs from 10 to 25 per cent depending on how close the site is to Highway 2 or Highway 566. A crane building's yard, laydown area and truck court all have to fit around those rules, so the site plan should be fixed before the building's bay spacing and door positions.

Industrial Crane Buildings: the rules in Balzac

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

I-LHT and I-HVY districts: maximum building height 20.0 m unless the Land Use Map sets a different 'h' figure; minimum parcel 1.0 ha; I-LHT building setbacks 6.0 m, I-HVY 15.0 m; parking and storage 15.0 m from a highway or County road; at least 10% of the land landscaped. I-LHT storage must be to the rear and side of the principal building; I-HVY storage must be screened from public rights-of-way and adjacent parcels.

Source: Rocky View County Land Use Bylaw C-8000-2020, Office Consolidation

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

Balzac East ASP Minimum Development Guidelines: business parks near Highway 2 or Highway 566 landscape at least 25% of the park (10% of each lot); business lots near those highways outside a park landscape at least 15%; outside storage at the side or rear, outside required setbacks, and screened from Highway 2 and non-business uses; loading areas at the side or rear; lighting shielded to protect Calgary International Airport, Highway 2 and Highway 566.

Source: Balzac East Area Structure Plan, Bylaw C-5177-2000 (office consolidation)

Rocky View County Planning and Development (Development Authority)

Balzac East ASP Building Design: the design, character and appearance of business developments and accessory buildings must be acceptable to the County, and buildings next to Highway 2 or Nose Creek should consider their visual impact on the corridor.

Source: Balzac East Area Structure Plan, Bylaw C-5177-2000 (office consolidation)

Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors

A roadside development permit is required for development within 300 m of a provincial highway or 800 m from the centreline of a highway and public road intersection. The general minimum setback is 40 m from the highway right-of-way or 70 m from the roadway centreline, whichever is greater, and the application must give building area, height and type. Direct highway access is not permitted.

Source: Roadside development permits | Alberta.ca

Red iron or light-gauge steel?

Most commercial, agricultural and large acreage buildings use rigid-frame "red iron" primary steel. Light-gauge cold-formed frames suit smaller garages and storage. This is how the two differ.

Attribute	Rigid-frame red iron	Light-gauge cold-formed
Primary frame	Hot-rolled or built-up (welded plate) rigid frames, usually tapered, bolted at the haunch and ridge	Cold-formed C-sections, screwed or bolted, used as both frame and secondary members
Secondary framing	Cold-formed Z-purlins and girts spanning between frames	The same cold-formed members, at closer spacing
Clear span	Wide clear spans with no interior columns; modular columns optional for very wide buildings	Shorter clear spans; wider buildings need interior posts
Frame spacing (bays)	Wider bays, set by the manufacturer for the loads at your site	Closer frame spacing
Overhead crane	Frames and columns can be designed from the start to carry crane runway beams and brackets	Not a crane structure
Doors and openings	Large overhead and sliding doors framed between columns without losing the clear span	Door sizes limited by frame spacing
Typical use	Commercial, industrial, agricultural and large acreage shops	Garages, small shops and storage
Drawings for the permit	Stamped by an Alberta-registered P.Eng. retained by the manufacturer, for your site loads	Varies by supplier; confirm stamped drawings before you buy

Built for Chinooks, snow drift and hail

Snow and drift

The building code's 1-in-50-year ground snow load for Airdrie is 1.2 kPa, plus 0.1 kPa rain-on-snow. Balzac isn't listed in the code's climate table; Airdrie is the nearest listed location, about 9 km away, and your permit authority sets the value for your exact site. The roof load your industrial crane buildings is designed for starts there and goes up where snow drifts: against a taller wall, behind a parapet, or where a lean-to steps down from the main roof.

Chinook wind

The 1-in-50-year design wind pressure for Airdrie is 0.46 kPa, about 96 km/h sustained over an hour. Gusts run higher, which is why large doors, end walls and anchor bolts are designed for the site's exposure, not a catalogue default.

Hail

Southern Alberta sees some of Canada's most damaging hail. Ask for wall and roof panels carrying a UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating in the manufacturer's listing, and check the paint system's warranty terms for hail.

Source: National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition, Volume 1: Table C-2, Climatic Design Data for Selected Locations in Alberta, NBC(AE) 2023. Your stamped drawings use the values for your exact site.

Site and foundation in Balzac

Survey first. The County's industrial checklist wants geodetic elevations at the parcel corners, the building corners, the main floor and the roof peak, plus contours at 0.5-metre intervals, and the roof peak elevation is what gets measured against the 20-metre limit. Because height is averaged across all elevations from finished grade, a sloping Balzac site can change how much clear height is left under the crane. Plan the truck court and storage yard at the side or rear, away from the Highway 2 frontage, and leave room for the landscaped area the Balzac East plan sets for the lot. Crane buildings carry heavy concentrated column loads, so a geotechnical report should shape the foundations. Show any part of the parcel in the floodway or flood fringe of Nose Creek on the site plan. If the site is within 300 metres of Highway 2 or Highway 566, apply for the provincial roadside permit early, because it can set a deeper setback than the County district does.

Common clear-span sizes

Size (ft)	Floor area	Typical use	Framing
30x40	1,200 sq ft	Two-bay garage shop, hobby shop, small equipment storage	red iron or light gauge
40x60	2,400 sq ft	Acreage shop with RV or equipment bays, small contractor shop	red iron or light gauge
60x100	6,000 sq ft	Contractor yard building, machine storage, small warehouse	red iron
100x200+	20,000 sq ft	Warehouse, crane-served fabrication shop, riding arena	red iron

Every size is a starting point. Width, length, eave height and frame spacing are set to your use and your site.

Industrial Crane Buildings in Balzac: questions

Will a 20-metre height limit fit an overhead crane?

For most bridge cranes in a single-storey building, yes. The limit is measured to the highest point of the building as an average across its elevations, and it excludes items like mechanical housing and parapets. The building's eave height is set by the hook height you need, the crane's own depth and the clearance above the runway. Give the manufacturer your hook height and crane capacity, and check the stamped design against the 20-metre figure before you apply.

Can I store trailers and steel outside my building in Balzac?

Yes, with limits. The Balzac East plan allows outside storage of trucks, trailers and other vehicles at the side or rear of a building if it stays out of required setbacks and is screened from neighbouring non-business uses and Highway 2. In the County's I-HVY district, storage must be screened from public rights-of-way and adjacent parcels, and parking and storage keep 15 metres back from a highway or County road.

Does Balzac's location near the airport affect the building?

Both Balzac East business areas lie inside the Calgary International Airport Vicinity Protection Area, and the plan requires all on-site lighting to be located, oriented and shielded to protect the airport's safe function. Plan yard lighting with cut-off fixtures from the start, and concentrate it on the building and parking areas; in the North Business Area a lighting plan must be accepted before development permit approval for structures.

Is landscaping really required on an industrial lot?

Yes. Rocky View County's industrial districts require at least 10 per cent of the land to be landscaped, and the Balzac East plan raises that to 15 per cent for business lots near Highway 2 or Highway 566 outside a business park. A Landscape Plan must be submitted with the development permit application, and the plan sets minimum tree and shrub sizes at planting.

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