Council approved changes last week to the Town of Sundre’s land use bylaw that updates definitions as well as clarifies the authority of the development officer.
The proposed amendments were advertised and town CAO Linda Nelson said no public responses had been received at the time of preparing a report for the March 19 meeting, when the public hearing was also held.
“The recommendation at this time is that council approve the bylaw,” said Betty Ann Fountain, development officer.
Coun. Todd Dalke wondered whether the removal of a section referencing satellite dish antennas would potentially open the door for people to start putting up structures such as shortwave radio towers.
Fountain replied that similar to airports and railroads, the federal government maintains jurisdiction over telecommunications and that anyone planning to build or install a shortwave radio or other large antennas of that sort would first have to go through a federal process and then come back to the municipality with that information.
But the proposed bylaw change in this instance pertained more specifically to satellite dishes, she added.
“They were referring to those monsters that we all used to see out in farmlands,” she said, adding modern technology has resulted in much smaller satellite dishes for the provision of television services.
“If somebody did want to put up a shortwave radio tower, there are processes in place to take care of that through the federal government, and they would have to come to us with a referral and show us their permit as such from the federal government.”
Adding further clarification, Mike Marko, director of planning and economic development, said the “evolution of change” that satellite dishes have undergone over the past few decades have resulted in the once fairly large constructs becoming reduced in size to wall-mountable devices that are barely bigger than half a metre in diameter, give or take.
“Now they’re regarded as almost an appliance that you fix to your property and there’s no need to have that type of thing in our land use bylaw,” said Marko.
When Deputy Mayor Cheri Funke, who chaired the meeting in Mayor Terry Leslie’s absence, opened the floor to the public, Sundre resident Robert Dale expressed his opposition to a reference about a 25 per cent variance on properties.
“What the variance provision is in the bylaw for is to give the development authority a tool to consider a variance of up to 25 per cent — not to necessarily approve a variance of 25 per cent,” said Marko, addressing Dale’s concern.
“There are certain extenuating circumstances where variances are required and proved to be favourable to correct situations.”
That might for example include a scenario such as the sale of an older property. Banks need a real property report to determine whether the site is compliant with the land use bylaw, and variances can help correct inconsistencies, he said.
“By allowing the administration to have the flexibility to deal with a variance in specific circumstances, we can correct problems of existing properties to allow transactions — property sales — to occur much quicker.”
Additionally, administration does not promote variances on new developments, although there can be instances when an applicant might request one, he said.
“Variances are always subject to input from neighbours through the appeal process. There is the right to appeal if somebody feels that a variance is too great and should not be approved — so they’re not there for abuse.”
Council later proceeded to approve the land use bylaw as amended.
