Mountain View County councillors have passed a motion setting a second public hearing for the proposed development moratorium for parts of the McDougal Flats near the Red Deer River west of Sundre.
The new hearing will be held in council chambers on Nov. 12, with the motion authorizing the hearing coming during the regularly scheduled council meeting on Oct. 22.
“We felt it is in the best interest of being open and transparent and providing the public as much opportunity to provide input,” said Reeve Bruce Beattie.
“There is going to be further public information coming forward on Nov. 4 at a meeting (at the Sundre Legion Hall) that is going to release the official report from the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) regarding the flood zone and flood fringe in the McDougal Flats areas so we want to make sure the public has an adequate opportunity to discuss that in an open forum.”
The proposed moratorium bylaw (LU 39/14) was put forward by the county following the release of AESRD's draft Golder Associates McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study report that examined whether portions of the McDougal Flats area may be in floodways and flood fringes.
The draft Golder report, which has not been made public but has been shown to the county, has not yet been adopted by AESRD.
New provincial legislation, Bill 27, puts new restrictions on developments in floodplains, including floodways and flood fringes.
Under the Bylaw LU 39/14, which received first reading on Aug. 13, redesignation, subdivision and the construction of new structures in the study area would be prohibited, with agriculture, roads, bridges, flood and erosion infrastructure and recreational vehicles on wheels in existing recreational lots exempted.
About 100 residents in the study area attended the Oct. 9 public hearing for the bylaw, with many in attendance voicing concerns that a moratorium would have a significant negative impact on property values in the study area.
A public open house is scheduled for the Sundre Legion Hall on Nov. 4 where representatives from AESRD may release further details of the Golder study, including updated maps.
Following the Oct. 9 public hearing, councillors passed a motion deferring consideration of second and third reading of the bylaw until the Nov. 12 council meeting.
