Rocky View County (RVC) council voted to waive the fee for a landowner to resubmit a subdivision application after the proposal was refused at a regular meeting Feb. 12. Council refused a subdivision application for a 5.78-acre parcel and an 11.29-acre parcel east of Conrich, south of Township Road 250 and west of Range Road 283 – within the future policy area of the Conrich Area Structure Plan (ASP). While the subdivision was technically viable, according to planner Oksana Newmen, it did not comply with a stipulation of the ASP that states a new subdivision shall not be supported within the future policy area until that area has been comprehensively planned. Further, the Municipal Government Act (MGA) states a subdivision authority must not approve an application if it doesn’t meet a statutory plan, she said. Newmen noted the Terms of Reference for the future policy area were adopted by council Nov. 27, 2018, and comprehensive planning for the area will start this year. The applicant was advised the submission did not comply with policy and was given an opportunity to withdraw, according to Newmen, but they wished to proceed. Area Coun. Jerry Gautreau moved the application be refused, based on the regulations set out in the MGA. Deputy Reeve Al Schule indicated he would support Gautreau’s motion, so long as the applicant be permitted to resubmit the application without fees after the future policy area was planned. In general, he said, he opposes future policy areas that freeze land, and felt charging the applicant to resubmit the application would penalize him. Additionally, he said he believed the time needed for staff to review the resubmitted application would be minimal. Gautreau’s motion was carried 7-2, with Schule and Coun. Crystal Kissel opposed. Schule’s motion arising was subsequently carried 5-4, with Reeve Greg Boehlke and Couns. Daniel Henn, Mark Kamachi and Kevin Hanson voting against. “I believe we heard the situation was explained to the applicant ahead of time, and he chose to move forward to see what would happen here today,” Hanson said. “I won’t be supporting this because we want to recover all our costs, and we spent real administration time and council time on this, and when it comes up again there will be more administration time and council time. Let’s have them pay the fee again.”