The Mountain View County agricultural service board (ASB) will be asked to provide input and comments on the county’s plans to update the municipal development plan (MDP), members heard during the recent regularly scheduled meeting in council chambers.
The MDP is a top-level document that guides development throughout the county. It was last updated in 2012.
County council recently approved the terms of reference for the review’s steering committee.
The terms of reference identify council as the steering committee for the review. The committee will provide administration with direction on five key topics through a series of council workshops.
The workshops will take place on the first council meeting days in March, April, May and the second council meeting day in June.
“Open house materials will be shared with county boards and commission for feedback to council prior to the first round of open houses to engage the public in November 2019 and a second round of open houses in March 2020.”
The current MDP was approved in July 2012 with a number of amendments made after that time. A total of $85,000 has been budgeted for the review.
The five review topics are as follows:
• Subdivision potential, agricultural preservation area, potential multi-lot area, and fragmentation.
• Environmentally significant areas.
• Concentrated confined feeding operations.
• Growth centres.
• Special policy areas.
The review will take place in four stages: key review of steering committee workshops; open houses to engage the public; draft MDP for steering committee review; and open house to share draft of MDP.
Speaking to ASB members on Feb. 26, county manager of planning Matthew Pawlow told members the review is now underway and that board members will be asked for input over the coming months.
“The intent with the review process and the involvement of the ag services board is to have your feedback on some questions that we are going to be proposing to the public,” said Pawlow. “We are requesting your (ASB) involvement in the process. Your feedback will be very important.
“We do have a lot of overlap between what we are doing in a development capacity and services through the ag service board, such as riparian enhancement projects and how they all work together.”
Administration will soon be working with council to put forward surveys to get their feedback on specific policy areas in the current document, he said.
“Those responses back for council will inform our ability to do a workshop with council and then based on the results of that workshop we are going to go to our committees and boards, including yourselves, the ag service board.”
Officials expect to engage with committees and boards in late summer or early fall, he said.
The terms of reference for the review state, in part, that, “The MDP review will align with the county’s strategic goals for agriculture, environment, governance and infrastructure. The purpose of public involvement is to inform and educate the public and stakeholders on the nature and requirements of the MDP.
“Key stakeholders to be involved in the review will include internal departments, provincial agencies, public utilities, public agencies, public authorities, landowners, and business, commercial and industrial interests.”
Any update to the MDP would require a motion of council.
