CARSTAIRS - Council is considering several updates to Carstairs' land use bylaw, including new definitions for home-based businesses.
“We are reviewing them and going through them to make sure they are up-to-date,” mayor Lance Colby told the Albertan.
The town’s current land use bylaw was last comprehensively updated in 2007, and while there have been amendments to the bylaw since then, there is a need to update procedures to align with current best practices and changes in regulation, says chief administrative officer Rick Blair.
As well, there is an opportunity make the land use bylaw regulations more flexible to respond to evolving development trends, he said.
The proposed updating of the bylaw came before council at the regularly scheduled Jan. 10 council meeting.
Also known as the zoning bylaw, the land use bylaw guides day-to-day development activities in town.
Changes to the bylaw are being proposed by administration in areas such as parking, accessory suites, home-based businesses, and commercial building sizes.
The current bylaw defines a home occupation as “any occupation, trade, profession or craft carried on by an occupant of a residential building as a secondary to the residential use of the building.”
The proposed update would include three definitions: home office; home-based business (class 1); and home-based business (class 2).
• Home office means any occupation, trade, profession or craft carried on as a second use of a dwelling unit which does not involve any employees or customers coming to the dwelling unit, on-site storage or display of materials, or the creation of any nuisance whatsoever.”
• Home-based business (class 1) means a use where business is conducted in a principal building or accessory building/structure with moderate weekly visits and with one employee who does not live on the property. Uses are secondary to the residential use of the parcel and do not change the residential appearance of the land and buildings. Typical development include day home, music lessons, or a hairdresser.
• ome-based (class 2) means a use where business is conducted in the principal building or accessory building/structure that is operated by a permanent resident of the dwelling unit, which may have four employees who do not reside on the property, with limited outdoor storage. Typical activity includes contractor services, landscape supplies, commercial vehicle parking, automotive and auto body repair, and on-site light fabrication.
Regarding accessory suites, the current bylaw defines such a suite as a “separate and subordinate dwelling unit, which is contained within a detached dwelling with separate access to the outside, or located on the same parcel as the detached dwelling, including above a detached garage.”
Such dwelling cannot exceed 65 metres square in total floor area excluding the area covered by stairways.
It is proposed to create three separate definitions: secondary suite lane, secondary suite garden, and second suite internal.
• The secondary suite lane means an “accessory secondary dwelling unit that is located above a detached garage, facing the rear lane and has an entrance separate from the vehicle entrance to the garage. That suite must be a maximum of seven metres in height and be located directly adjacent to a rear lane.
• Secondary suite garden mean a “single-storey, accessory secondary dwelling unit that is located in a building separate from the principal dwelling. That suite can be a maximum of 4.5 metres in height and have a maximum gross floor area of 75 metres square.
• Secondary suite internal means an accessory dwelling unit located within the principal dwelling.
A public hearing would be held to consider any changes to the bylaw once councillors have had a chance to hold further discussions on the matter, perhaps at the next council meeting, said mayor Colby.
Council also continues work on the 2025 operating budget, which could come before the next council meeting, he said.
