After four years of development, Rocky View County (RVC) will implement a new Land Use Bylaw (LUB) in September.
“It’s a good move,” said Reeve Greg Boehlke. “There are opportunities for different styles of businesses. [The LUB] needed modernizing and that is exactly what it got.”
Boehlke said he feels the County now has a “go forward” document for the next three to five years.
RVC council unanimously granted second and third reading to the new LUB at a regular meeting July 28. According to Boehlke, the new LUB reflects modern development approaches and better aligns with provincial regulations.
“It has taken nearly four years of careful effort, but we have redrafted and consolidated the bylaw to reduce confusion and cut out pointless red tape,” he said. “Just as importantly, we’ve maintained appropriate controls over land use to ensure well-planned development in RVC.”
The new LUB includes a 35 per cent reduction in the number of land use districts, according to an RVC press release, and the document itself has seen a 70 per cent reduction in the number of pages.
The LUB dictates how land in RVC can be used and developed. According to the press release, each parcel of land in the county has a land use district, which regulates the size and types of use on any given piece of land. Building sizes, development standards and permitted or discretionary uses for properties are governed by the bylaw.
The new LUB does not change how a property owner currently uses their land, the release stated. Any landowner that wants to develop their property or make changes to its use will have to follow any updated regulations that may apply.
The County has been working on the new LUB since 2016, when the council of the day approved a Terms of Reference for the project.
“Our old LUB was created in 1998, and underwent numerous piecemeal amendments over the years,” Boehlke said. “It became out-dated, hard to understand, easy to misinterpret and challenging to implement and enforce.”
In October 2019, RVC held three open houses and hosted an online survey to receive public feedback on the bylaw. The new LUB was given first reading by council Jan. 28.
A public hearing for the bylaw was held at a special council meeting June 25. As a result, multiple amendments were proposed and Deputy Reeve Al Schule moved to table the bylaw until July 28.
The new bylaw will take effect Sept. 8.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
