A rezoning application for an acreage subdivision north of the city is stuck in legislative limbo after councils from Sturgeon County and St. Albert agreed to wait for the other to weigh in on necessary bylaw changes.
City council agreed to postpone any endorsement of changes to the Sturgeon-St. Albert intermunicipal development plan (IDP) that are needed to pave the way for the Northern Lights subdivision. The acreage development is located within the IDP boundary, a 2,666-hectare area around the city where development patterns are strictly controlled by both municipalities.
Mayor Nolan Crouse proposed postponing the city’s endorsement by a few weeks until after Sturgeon County votes on the matter and forwards an application to the Capital Region Board (CRB).
“I believe we should let the process and the application proceed, hear the results of that, then proceed,” Crouse told council. “It’s 30 more days in a big picture issue like this. I don’t think that’s much to wait.”
The IDP changes are needed before any zoning changes can be made to allow purely residential in the Northern Lights subdivision, located north of St. Albert near the Pro-North Industrial Park.
Northern Lights was originally touted in 2001 as a ‘working-man’s’ subdivision, with acreages and residential-business zoning. The development was sold last year and the new owners, VSD Developments, want to strictly focus on acreages.
Bill Minnes, a planning consultant working with the subdivision’s new owner, said the bylaw changes are needed for the development to be a success.
“I think the bottom line of this amendment is to correct the mistake made by the last owner of selling $500,000 or more homes, with homes that have businesses,” he told council Monday. “If Sturgeon County supports it, and St. Albert supports it, I can’t see the CRB refusing it.”
Former St. Albert mayor Richard Plain spoke out against the proposed bylaw change, saying that it would erase years of hard work and money spent developing the original concept.
“It was felt that this subdivision would be unique and create jobs,” Plain told council. “I think we should stay with our original plan.”
Waiting game
Although city councillors opted to wait until their rural counterparts have a chance to consider the IDP changes, Sturgeon County senior planner Arjen de Klerk said the county was in fact waiting for St. Albert’s support.
“We were under the impression we needed St. Albert’s support for this,” said de Klerk in an interview. “We were waiting patiently for St. Albert.”
CRB manager of regional projects (land use) Andy Haden said the board has not received any information regarding the Northern Lights development. However, he said municipalities are free to call his office for submission information, which de Klerk said he had done as of Tuesday afternoon.
When Crouse was informed about the mix-up, he said the city was provided out-of-date information and that administration would be talking with Sturgeon to find out what comes next.
“Our motion says we go after [Sturgeon County],” said Crouse. “We may have to change that.”
Sturgeon County Mayor Don Rigney said he was unaware of the situation, but was told that as of Tuesday his administration had not submitted the application. Rigney hopes the situation will be resolved soon so the development can be completed.
“We’ve got to work within the new framework of the CRB,” he said. “We’re just trying to move this forward.”
Minnes said he is waiting to hear which municipality will make the first move on the application so the project can begin this year.
“Somebody’s going to have to take the lead on this,” he said.
