SUNDRE – Town council has given first reading to a bylaw amending the municipal development plan (MDP) and taken the first step toward adopting the document by setting a public hearing date in October.
During the return of regular sessions on Sept. 9 following the summer hiatus, council heard that the municipal development plan is a long-term strategic document that provides guidance on the town’s growth and development over the next 25 years.
The MDP proposes to maintain the quality of life that residents consider important while providing for growth within the greater context of fostering a sustainable environment and to progress as a viable community, said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer.
“As this is subject to a public hearing, we’re asking just for first reading to the bylaw and that council sets a public hearing date,” she told council.
As per the document’s introduction, the plan’s stated purpose is to address issues such as “land use, development, municipal services, facility planning, and the establishment of municipal reserve land” and “also covers inter-municipal matters such as future growth areas and the coordination of transportation systems and infrastructure.”
The MDP – the current version of which was last updated and adopted in 2013 – is also intended to serve “as a tool for landowners and developers” as well as to provide “a policy framework to guide development, land use, and infrastructure investments.”
Additionally, the 66-page plan that is broken down into nine sections with an appendix and glossary of terms presents “guidelines for the town’s planning processes, including statutory and non-statutory plans, and applications for redesignations, subdivisions, and developments.”
Council unanimously carried a motion to give first reading and set a public hearing date for Oct. 7 during the regularly scheduled meeting.
Visit www.sundre.com/p/mdp-update to see the document in full.
