St. Albert will move forward on plans to integrate land recently annexed from Sturgeon County, city council voted on Tuesday.
On Jan. 1, 1,558 hectares of Sturgeon County land officially became a part of St. Albert after four years of negotiation between the county and the city. On Tuesday, council unanimously approved changes to the city’s Land Use Bylaw to add two new districts, outlining the uses for the newly annexed land.
The bulk of the annexed land is underdeveloped and low-density agricultural land, which will be designated as transition district. This district will allow for traditional agricultural operations that don’t compromise the ability for future urban intensification to happen in “an orderly and efficient manner,” the backgrounder said.
The second new land designation is an alternate jurisdiction district for lands that are under the jurisdiction of the federal and provincial government — for example a portion of Riverlot 56 — and outlines that uses within the land must fall under these orders of legislation.
Lyndsay Francis, city planner, said a pump station will be designated as public and private service, and a section of Riverlot 56 within the floodplain will be districted as public park.
Mayor Cathy Heron asked whether the province would need to get a development permit for land in the alternate jurisdiction area, raising a question around what measures St. Albert would have to protect the land as natural space.
Vicki Dodge, city planner, noted the land is under provincial jurisdiction, and that if the province decides it wants to build on the land, it would not need to receive approval from the city of St. Albert.
Coun. Ken MacKay described the adoption of the land districts as one more step towards a "successful annexation."
St. Albert is holding a virtual event to welcome annexation area residents to the city and answer their questions on the evening of Feb. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting will be held over Zoom, and registration is available on the city’s website.
The city has also released an “annexation transition handbook” outlining city contact information, as well as information about community and recreation services, utilities, and tax information. New St. Albert residents looking to learn more can access a link to the handbook on the city’s website.
