By Dan Singleton
MVP Staff
Mountain View County council has approved the new Southeast Sundre Area Structure Plan (ASP), which sets out development guidelines and conditions for eight sections of land immediately southeast of the Town of Sundre.
During the Sept. 25 regularly scheduled council meeting, councillors gave second and third reading to the bylaw setting up the ASP.
Bob Nerrie, the chairman of the steering committee, said he is happy with the plan, which he says has wide public support.
“We've got an excellent plan and it reflects the community,” said Nerrie. “We wanted to hash everything out with the community. There are lot of stakeholders there, including the residents, the town and the county.”
Asked what he believes is the highlight of the plan, he said, “Surface water runoff is a big thing in that area, and we've put controls on that so that we don't make problems worse.”
The steering committee hosted a number of public hearings and conducted surveys during the plan development process.
The plan replaces the existing 2007 ASP, which contained a number of inconsistencies with the new county-wide municipal development plan (MDP), which was adopted in July 2012.
The plan outlines 10 main objectives, including “to develop a plan that will guide future development”, “to provide for future land use that is sensitive to agriculture and rural surroundings and environment” and to “encourage recreational development that recognizes natural physical features in collaboration with the Town of Sundre Recreation Plan.”
Under the plan, policies regarding agriculture include the following:
• Current agricultural uses shall be considered as conforming uses. The plan does not support the premature conversion of agricultural lands and supports the continuation of existing agricultural operations.
• The introduction of intensive agricultural uses such as confined feeding operations as defined in the Mountain View County Land Use Bylaw is not considered appropriate within the plan area.
• Agricultural land uses should be promoted and encouraged to continue within the plan area.
• Adjacent uses shall respect existing agricultural operations, including their hours of operation, their odours and noises and the traffic they create. New agricultural uses shall similarly respect the presence of adjacent uses.
Policies under the residential section include that the maximum lots allowed to be subdivided from a quarter section shall be a maximum of 48 parcels, that future lots for residential development shall be a minimum of three acres to a maximum of 10 acres in size, and that all subdivisions shall provide strategies for adequate water and wastewater solutions at the developer's expense.
Commercial developments in the plan area cannot exceed two storeys or 10 metres in height and must “minimize and mitigate any form of pollution, including air, noise and groundwater, and minimize any off-site impacts.”
