A public hearing will be held at the Mountain View County office Oct. 9 regarding proposed changes to the municipality's land use legislation.
During the Sept. 11 regularly scheduled council meeting councillors gave first reading to Land Use Bylaw No. 14/13, which if approved would replace the existing Land Use Bylaw No. 11/11.
The new bylaw has been developed following a review of the current bylaw by council and the municipal planning commission over the past several months.
“That's been an extensive process,” Reeve Bruce Beattie told the Gazette. “What it involved was councillors sitting down with the commission and trying to find ways to make their job easier, so when proposals come before them that they know what the rules are.
“It also involved getting a handle on some of the concepts around densities within the rural areas.”
The new bylaw includes a number of changes from the previous bylaw, including additional definitions, removal of specific sections covered under separate policy and procedure documents, removal of districts due to duplication, simplification of subsidiary occupations, changes to dwelling density and other amendments.
Changes specifically relating to dwelling density include the following:
• Setting a maximum dwelling density of four dwelling units per quarter section outside growth centres and hamlets, including dwellings on lots in the quarter section.
• The subdivision of new lots will be restricted if four or more dwelling units currently exist on a quarter section.
• The maximum number of dwelling units for parcels 79 acres or less will be one.
• The maximum number of dwelling units for parcels 80 acres or more will be two.
• Secondary suites will not be considered a dwelling unit and cannot exceed the size of the principal dwelling.
Changes regarding subsidiary occupations include that subsidiary businesses that may “affect neighbouring properties” will no longer be permitted; streamlined regulations are proposed for low impact businesses.
Regarding highway commercial district, this district will be deleted to remove duplication with other similar districts. As well, the county residential district will be deleted for simplification.
Regarding sea can shipping containers, they will be required to have development permits when on any county residential parcels or when on agricultural parcels of less than five acres.
Municipal land use bylaws are in place to facilitate the orderly, economical and beneficial development and use of land and buildings within the county. Every municipality is required by the Municipal Government Act to have a land use bylaw in place.
On Sept. 11 councillors also gave first reading to proposed amendments to the municipal development plan (MDP) to bring it into line with the new land use bylaw.
A public hearing regarding those MDP amendments will also be held Oct. 9 in council chambers.
