Residents living in the Alberta Industrial Heartland in Sturgeon County will find rebuilding, expanding or replacing their homes easier if new bylaw changes are approved.
When the heartland areas was rezoned to make way for up to four bitumen upgraders, the bylaw put restrictions on residential building activity to preserve the area for industrial development. The bylaw only allowed residents to rebuild homes if they were destroyed.
County council approved first reading of a bylaw amendment that clearly states residents have a right to replace, rebuild or expand their homes.
The wording about a home being destroyed has been removed and any residence that existed prior to the passing of the Heartland bylaw can be rebuilt, expanded or upgraded.
Coun. Karen Shaw, who represents the affected area in Division 6, said the change is significant to residents.
“This is something that has been a burr in the residents’ side since this came into place and I believe this is a fix,” she said. “It is giving back our residents some of their rights that they lost in this area.”
When land-use bylaws were changed to accommodate the Industrial Heartland Sturgeon faced the prospect of several upgraders being built in the area, along with the possibility of several other industrial sites being located nearby.
With that no longer being the case Coun. Ken McGillis said it make sense for the county’s bylaws to be more flexible.
“We thought we were looking at three upgraders and the whole area [was going to be] populated with industry, and that doesn’t look like it is happening,” he said.
Currently only one energy company, North West Upgrading, has definite plans to build an upgrader. Construction on the company’s plant is set to start next spring.
All other facilities originally proposed for the area have no firm construction timeline.
The public hearing is set for Dec. 14 during the regular council meeting.
