MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has approved further amendments to the proposed update of the county's municipal development plan (MDP).
The MDP governs development across the county, and last underwent a major update in 2012. Council approved $85,000 for the plan review in the 2019 budget.
A public hearing on the proposed changes was held on Nov. 18 following first reading in October. A number of open houses have also been held as part of the update project.
During the Dec. 2 meeting, council considered a number of topics brought up during the public hearing, including subdivision and development in floodways, fragmentation policies and definitions, consideration of commercial and industrial developments outside economic nodes, farmstead parcel sizes, confined feeding operations, and growth centres.
The county's director of planning, Margaretha Bloem, went over several additional proposed amendments with council at the Dec. 2 council meeting.
Regarding residential redesignation and subdivision in the floodway, Section 4.3.11 residential land use policies would read: “New residential redesignation and subdivision shall not be permitted within a floodway of any watercourse.”
Under residential land use polices, Section 4.3.3d would read: “The maximum total area taken from a quarter section for residential subdivision shall not exceed nine acres (3.64 ha) including agricultural subdivision small than nine acres.”
The agricultural land use policies Section 3.3.15 would read, in part: “New subdivision shall not be supported on the quarter section where an approved confined feeding operation is located.”
The growth management conceptual strategy would read, in part: “The county has identified four growth centres as areas suitable for future development including higher density residential, commercial and industrial uses. The growth centres include the area southeast of the Town of Sundre, McDougal Flats west of Sundre, the area surrounding the Town of Didsbury, and the Water Valley/Winchell Lake area. These areas, except for the area surrounding Didsbury outside of the East Didsbury area structure plan have existing areas structure plans that support the potential for non-agricultural uses.”
The growth centres and economic nodes section would read, in part, “The designation of these growth centres is focused on higher density within existing South East Sundre, Water Valley/Winchell Lake, South McDougal Flats and the area around Didsbury. Identification as a growth centre does not imply that these lands will be developed within the lifespan of this plan, nor does it imply that the landowner must develop the land.”
The recommended updated definition of economic nodes would be “Areas within the county that are more suitable for more commercial and industrial developments” and the new definition of growth centres would be areas “more suitable for future development including higher density residential, commercial and industrial uses.”
Council passed a motion giving second reading to Bylaw 20-20, including the new amendments.
The bylaw is scheduled to come back before council at the Dec. 9 council meeting for possible final reading.
