MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has received the annual overview report on the municipal development plan (MDP), which is a high-level document governs development across the county.
Presented by director of planning and development Margaretha Bloem, the report highlights planning and development decisions made throughout 2023, including business diversification and retention statistics.
Regarding the plan’s direction to minimize the loss of agricultural lands, the total acres redesignated for all land uses in 2023 was 519 acres, compared with 696 in 2022.
The number of approved redesignation applications was markedly less in 2023 (17) compared with 2022 (43). A total of 13 applications were approved in the agricultural preservation area compared with four applications in the potential multi-lot residential development area.
Regarding parcel density, eight applications received approval as first parcel out of an unsubdivided quarter section, four applications results in the second parcel, and one application results in the third and fourth parcels.
As well, three applications were for boundary adjustments that resulted in no additional parcels and one application resulted in a reduction from two parcels down to one parcel, with the second title as the remainder of the quarter section.
A single application, for a country residential parcel, received redesignation approval for a third title in the agricultural preservation areas compared with none in 2022.
Agricultural zoning to the agricultural district was approved for 54.39 acres in 2023 as a result of two applications, one a boundary adjustment that did not create a new parcel and one boundary adjustment that did result in an additional parcel.
A total of 394.1 acres were redesignated to agricultural zoning as a result of nine applications, compared with 15 applications in 2022 resulting 497.95 acres.
One application in 2023 required the remainder of 77.65 acres to be redesignated to agricultural two district to comply with the land use bylaw.
Four boundary adjustment applications were approved in 2023, compared with three in 2022.
One application was approved in 2023 for a new agricultural parcel small than 40 acres compared with five the previous year.
Regarding residential applications, a total of 71.22 acres were redesignated to residential district in 2023, compared with 104.77 acres redesignated in 2022.
There were five farmstead approvals in 2023 representing 50.93 acres compared to seven farmstead applications in 2022 that represented 49.12 acres.
Regarding economic development, in 2023 a total of 26 new businesses received developmental approval, of which 12 are located on agricultural-zoned lands and two are on country residential-zoned lands. Twelve new businesses were approved on business and industrial-zoned lands.
A total of six businesses expanded in 2023 and were located on a combination of agricultural, country residential, local commercial, parks and recreation, and direct controlled-zoned lands.
Ten riparian health assessment and monitoring agreements were approved as part of the subdivision process on affected parcels in 2023.
“One of the features is located on the proposed agricultural parcels, three are located on the proposed parcel and the remainder, while six were located on the remainder of the quarter sections.”
Council accepted the report as information.
