MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Mountain View County council has given second reading to a new intermunicipal development plan (IDP) with Rocky View County.
The move came by way of motion following a fall public hearing.
The purpose of the plan is to formalize the relationship between the two municipalities. The plan is being put in place in compliance with the updated Municipal Government Act.
The plan is required to address future land use, future development, the provision of transportation systems, financing infrastructure, coordination of physical, social and economic programs, environmental matters, and provision of services.
A committee and administration from both municipalities has overseen the plan’s development.
The Mountain View-Rocky plan sets out the policy framework for planning matters that includes land use and development, environmental matters, transportation, and items of mutual interest as it applies to lands in proximity to the shared boundary and defined in the plan area.
The plan’s policies define how communication, cooperation, decision-making and dispute resolution will occur for lands within the plan area.
The plan outlines five main goals, including identifying items that are of importance to the municipalities, and items that may be mitigated through policies of this plan.
Those items include agricultural activities, economic development, the environment, resource extraction, industrial development, energy development, and transportation and infrastructure.
Other goals include ensuring “long-term compatibility of future land use within both municipalities”, “recognize that agriculture continues to be the primary use of land in the plan area and support the preservation of agricultural land except where statutory plans support non-agricultural use”, and “establish plan administration, amendment and dispute resolution procedures.”
The plan area in general is one half mile on either side of the municipal boundary except at the intersection of highways 2 and 2A where it is increased to one mile.
“The policies of existing statutory plans and the land use bylaw of the municipality having jurisdiction will guide development within the IDP area, except where specific IDP policies identify otherwise,” administration said in a briefing note to council.
“Specific policies address confined feeding operations, resource extraction (gravel pits) and energy development. The IDP sets out a circulation and dispute resolution process as well as review, amendment, repeal and replacement provisions.”
Under the plan applications for new or expanded aggregate extraction operations, renewable energy development, new or expanded telecommunication towers within the plan area must be referred to the adjacent municipality.
Regarding inter-municipal services, the plan’s objective is to “provide their residents with services ranging from transportation, water and wastewater, solid waste, emergency services, and recreation.”
The dispute resolution section of the plan states, in part, that, “should either municipality identify a potential concern related to an application referral provided through the policies of the plan, written notification shall be provided at the administrative level.
“The municipalities should provide additional clarification, technical documents or other information as required to satisfy the concerns of the adjacent municipality. Meetings or further discussion may be required. Should matters fail to be resolved, each municipality should escalate the matter to their respective CAO for further guidance.”
The matter will return for further consideration at a future council meeting after Rocky View council considers the plan at its scheduled Dec. 10 meeting.
Council gave first reading to the related Mountain View County and Rocky View County inter-municipal collaboration framework.
