Sturgeon County will push forward with a vision for the Sturgeon Valley, rejecting the suggestion of halting new development until land-use planning is overhauled to meet regional density targets.
County council last week defeated a motion to delay all new developments in Sturgeon Valley until the local area structure plan is updated to reflect Capital Region Board (CRB) targets for housing densities. Council instead agreed to seek feedback from landowners and the public on a range of alternate growth options for the valley.
Tom Flynn, the councillor representing the area, pushed for the delay on developments that require changes to the county's municipal development plan or the valley area structure plan. He noted the 12-year-old area plan is badly out of date and the more recent Sturgeon Valley vision isn't detailed enough to satisfy the CRB.
"We have to have a long-range vision of where we're going. [An area structure plan] gives developers and the community some certainties," he said.
Flynn noted the valley vision estimates up to 28,000 residents will eventually call Sturgeon Valley home, about 11,000 more than what's allowed using regional density targets for acreage subdivisions.
Flynn felt the more than two-fold difference could pose political hurdles when new developments are put to the board.
When Quail Ridge, a 90-lot subdivision in the valley, was approved a few months ago, regional municipalities including Edmonton and St. Albert drew a line in the sand about the need to adhere to the CRB growth plan, he said. Sturgeon County was then told to update its area structure plan and create an alignment study for 127 Street, both of which were approved in the budget.
Coun. Karen Shaw supported the motion to halt development, recognizing a bit of political "horse trading" that's happening at the CRB that won't be resolved without an area plan.
"I don't support ad hoc development. It's important we get certain processes in place. We have to bring surety to the developers."
Council was told updating the Sturgeon Valley vision to make it a true area structure plan would take 18 to 24 months to gather public input, a delay that didn't sit well with many on council.
Coun. Don McGeachy recognized the regional standoff, but felt developers and the county have put in enough time and money on studies plotting future valley growth and infrastructure. The only thing they haven't dealt with is density, he said.
"There's a lot of good work, a lot of good money that's gone into this."
Densities will be voted down
After the meeting Flynn said he thought the delay would have given developers more time to change their plans to meet CRB targets. But he downplayed the impact of the lost vote, explaining he doesn't expect to see too many developments coming forward before Sturgeon County finalizes planning for the area, noting there's already plenty of inventory on the market.
St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse confirmed the density targets have been a sticking point at the CRB, and that Quail Ridge, which the board grudgingly approved, was the catalyst. Leduc County recently pulled an area structure plan that was about to go to the board after learning it was destined for defeat over inadequate densities, he noted.
Crouse said the matter is cut and dried from a CRB and St. Albert city council perspective.
"If any municipality puts forward a proposal to the Capital Region Board that is inconsistent with the [regional growth] plan, it will be defeated," Crouse said. "Municipalities may as well get on with making their plans conform, whether it's transit development or whether it's density development or whether it's anything else."
