Sturgeon County Council has begun the approval process for a Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP) for Planning Area 1, a 402-hectare site south of Sturgeon Road adjoining St. Albert and Edmonton.
The plan outlines proposals for housing, infrastructure, parks, and community amenities, building on the Sturgeon Valley South Area Structure Plan.
County Council held the first reading of Bylaw 1684/25 in May, officially initiating the NASP approval process for Planning Area 1.
While council and county officials emphasize that extensive engagement has taken place, some residents say they were not sufficiently informed and are concerned about the impact on their community.
Chris Filewich, a resident of Sturgeon Valley, said he submitted a letter of opposition but was unable to attend the public hearing.
“I wasn’t able to make it to the hearing. I did submit a letter of opposition against the bylaw,” he said. “I just happened to stumble on it on a different page, on the county website.”
Filewich described the proposed development as a major change to the valley.
“To me, this is probably the biggest land use change that we’ve ever seen in and around the valley,” he said. “I don’t think we currently have the infrastructure to support that. I don’t think we want the increase in crime, the increase in traffic on the streets and noise and everything else that comes with it.”
James Viher, another resident, said notices about the bylaw were hard to find online.
“Anyways, they did a public hearing, and I couldn’t figure it out… I never saw the public notice for it, and totally missed it,” he said. “Then I did some research on it, and it was never posted on the public notices page of the county’s website. So a bunch of people missed it.”
He said that because of this, he emailed the county, requesting that the public hearing be redone.
Both Filewich and Viher expressed frustration with the level of public engagement. Filewich said the postcards sent to residents did not convey the magnitude of the proposed changes.
“Nowhere on that postcard did it speak to the level of change that was coming forth in the bylaw. Like, a lot more people would speak up,” he said.
County officials are defending the process. Sturgeon County Chief Administrative Officer Travis Peter said the county went beyond statutory requirements. He added that it is not possible to redo the public hearing due to the Municipal Government Act, which limits them to one hearing on the matter.
“Engagement is really, really important to Sturgeon County… We went above and beyond,” Peter said. “There were over 1,900 notices that were mailed directly to the residents in the valley,... the notice was on social media. They were on road signage and, and that is in addition to that, the developer, the applicant themselves, had an open house, 640 invites that 103 people attended.”
Peter emphasized that the county followed proper procedures and that further opportunities for public input will continue.
“Council hasn’t voted on this matter yet… Pending that outcome, there would be months and years more of opportunity for residents to stay engaged,” said Peter. “Because today, all we're considering within the area to the south of the valley is this NASP, which is a large area, and it's a high level document, yes. So the next step would be [getting] more details.”
Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said the plan aims to strike a balance between growth and the valley’s historical character.
“The transition area is to be able to have the residents who've lived in the valley and are accustomed to seeing houses similar to theirs is for the next, you know, line of houses over or the next block over to be a similar build form,” said Hnatiw. “So that transitional zone, where, as you move away from the prior core development that's taken place over the last 50 years, the density and the housing forms would then change to meet more modern day needs.”
Hnatiw added that the county is planning for all residents, not just those who currently live in the valley.
“So we're tasked with providing houses and a variety of houses for all Sturgeon County residents, not just wealthy residents,” she said. “I understand the residents who live in the valley are afraid of their community changing, and I completely understand where they're coming from, because it's a beautiful place, and we are worth trying to protect that.”
Hnatiw explained that Sturgeon County has seen a decrease in resident growth. In contrast, she said, Edmonton has seen almost double the population growth as the rest of Alberta.
“We have to plan for a community that meets the needs of today and the future,” she said. “I really would like the people in the valley to start to give us feedback on how to address those overarching issues, not just what they don't want in their backyard, but they can advise us on what they can envision for a sustainable Sturgeon County.”
