Sundre’s council unanimously agreed last week to recess a public hearing on the proposed southwest industrial area structure plan pending further discussions with Mountain View County.
The plan, which was prepared by Dillon Consulting on behalf of applicant, Rolling Mix Concrete, provides a policy framework for future redesignations, subdivisions and developments on the company's 63 hectares of vacant, undeveloped and unserviced land — as well as a privately owned 1.5-hectare parcel that is used as a residential recreational property.
Mike Marko, Sundre’s director of planning and economic development, outlined the proposed plan’s background to council during the Feb. 19 meeting. He said the document will also address general land use, major transportation routes, servicing strategy, and phasing for the area.
However, the plan does not specifically address timing for subdivision and development, including subdivision applications and re-designations and development applications, said Marko.
“That’s initiated by the development industry based on economic forces and the desire of developers to proceed with development.”
A linear green space corridor runs diagonally through the quarter section from the southwest to the northwest and a pipeline right-of-way essentially stretches north-south, he said.
The land use and subdivision strategy for the area will be determined through subsequent subdivision applications. Phased subdivision applications are required, and will be built to town urban standards with piped services installed, he said.
“Because the study area is located on the edge of town, all lands to the south, west and southwest are located in Mountain View County and include: rural industrial uses, the Sundre Airport, the quarter section to the west is proposed for gravel extraction by Mountain View County,” reads a section of the plan.
“To the north of the study area are lands designated for industrial park including the newly-approved Candre Cannabis operation. To the east is a major utility corridor, vacant land and Red Deer River floodway. To the northeast, over 400 metres away, is residential development including the new seniors lodge.”
The proposed document can be viewed in its entirety online by visiting the municipality’s website and clicking on “Planning and Development” under the “Your Government” tab and then selecting “Policy Documents” where the plan is available for download in a PDF format.
All of the subdivision’s future developments, including Phase 1, will be required to meet full town standards, said Marko.
Prior to any subdivisions moving forward, the municipality will implement new or revised offsite levies to be paid by developers at either the subdivision or development stages to pay for infrastructure services, road upgrades and trunk lines for the area, he said.
“Phase 1 developers will be required to enter into the standard subdivision agreement to bind them to develop to full urban standards, and to pay their share of offsite levies and special assessments,” he said, adding all other phases will also require developers to enter into a standard agreement.
“All of the other services will have to tie into town services. So developers or the town, through its offsite levies, would have to bring the trunk lines into this area.”
The plan is, by administration’s point of view, consistent with the inter-municipal development plan with Mountain View County. The quarter section is located in the urban referral area identified in the inter-municipal plan. Sundre’s administration recognizes the county has an interest in protecting land uses adjacent to the parcel, he said.
“That means we’re assessing land uses on the basis of compatibility with the land uses in the county,” he said.
“We appreciate and understand that it’s an area of importance to the county.”
Numerous background studies — including physical impact assessments, historical resources overviews, and provincial flood hazard mapping — were reviewed and support the plan. Some additional studies will also be required at the time of subdivisions, he said.
Following notifications to all required parties as mandated by the Municipal Government Act, there were no objections raised. However, the county did desire further discussing certain elements of the plan, he said.
“The county has expressed concern on aspects of the plan related to servicing and timing,” he said, adding administration sought council’s approval to recess the public hearing to allow staff to meet with the county to discuss those concerns and address any issues that may be necessary.
Further to that, Marko said administration was requesting the matter be brought before an inter-municipal planning commission meeting, unless the county agreed in writing that would not be necessary.
Speaking on behalf of the county, Margaretha Bloem, director of planning and development, said the plan “provides for onsite servicing with no detail defining when servicing will be available.”
Bloem said the county's council recommended their counterparts in Sundre consider deferring the final approval of the area structure plan until a further review was completed.
“Given that no one else has come up to the podium to speak in opposition to the plan, I believe this is a matter of some further discussion with the county and the applicant to tweak the plan, and bring it back to you at subsequent date for consideration,” Marko told council.
Mayor Terry Leslie sought a motion to recess the public hearing to a date determined by administration pending further discussion with county colleagues and the applicant. Coun. Richard Warnock made the motion and council unanimously agreed.
In a followup inquiry with Marko, the Round Up received confirmation the quarter section, while allowing light industrial developments, will not allow future gravel extraction operations.
“The uses will be restricted to those that we establish through a land use bylaw amendment -- light industrial to general industrial uses that are compatible for the area. The land use bylaw amendment would occur after the ASP is approved,” he wrote in an email.
