New manager ready for challenges

DIDSBURY - The town's new manager of planning and development services is so far enjoying his time in Didsbury, he says.

Matthew Konowalchuk started about four months ago, essentially taking over for Christofer Atchison, who took a similar position with Mountain View County.

Konowalchuk said that he is primarlily focused on land use planning, whereas Atchison was more involved with legislative services.

"I cover everything under land use planning – the development side of things, so issuing developing permits," said Konowalchuk. "I'm greatly involved in that. I'm involved in the subdivision reviewing, processing, preparing; area structure plans that come in, reviewing those as well."

Konowalchuk said he has projects he is working on including the off-site levy bylaw, which is the charges that developers pay to help with the cost of off-site infrastructure such as water and wastewater treatment facilities.

"We're in the process of reviewing it at council's request," he said.

Konowalchuk said they are also looking at the land use bylaw for the town as well as cannabis land use policies. The public hearing for the cannabis policy took place at the Sept. 11 regular council meeting.

"The province and the federal government have given us regulations on setbacks from certain uses for cannabis retail stores," he said. "We did a survey a couple of months ago to ask the public what they thought would be a suitable setback for cannabis retail and schools, and parks in general."

Konowalchuk said they had some interest but no formal applications for cannabis stores in Didsbury.

Overall, development in the town is steady, he said.

"Right now we're at about 60 permits (for 2018)," he said. "It's good. Our department is busy. For businesses, we're getting a few a day. It's steady."

Konowalchuk said that the Poplar Ridge development is moving forward with a substantial number of residential units under development.

"That's pretty exciting," he said.

Konowalchuk has been in the position for four months now, having started in early May. He came to Didsbury from the Grande Prairie area.

"I was there and in Peace River for eight years doing this," he said. "This is my career. I went to school at the University of Manitoba and Dalhousie. After Dalhousie, I went to Peace River."

He decided to make the jump to Mountain View County for a number of reasons.

"The different amenities, the mountains, sports," he said. "I've been able to go to a Stampeders game, which up there wouldn't have been an option. I just like going out to the mountains and hiking and biking."