References to smart growth will be wiped from St. Albert’s municipal development plan after city council voted Monday to amend the high-level document.
The decision means an official end to the smart growth plans, which council rejected in April.
City administration will now remove smart growth references from the MDP and add the ‘St. Albert model for future growth.’ This model contains a few of the concepts that had been part of smart growth: new development density targets, guidelines for a transit-oriented development north of Walmart and an infill development plan.
Council decided months ago to follow this path but left the official decision until the receipt of an administration report outlining the costs and human resources required to carry out the various reviews that will be needed.
These include full reviews of the MDP and transportation master plan, as well as several other document reviews. Initial estimates suggest this work would take five years at a cost of more than $3 million.
Despite being two weeks away from the end of its term, council voted in favour of directing administration to compile business cases for the various reviews, to be decided during budget deliberations by the future council after the Oct. 18 election.
Coun. James Burrows felt it best to delay vote on the business cases until the new year, when the new council would be on the job and settled in.
“This is a very complex matter,” Burrows said. “I really think it’s important that members of the new council are involved in the planning of St. Albert of tomorrow.”
Coun. Lorie Garritty pointed out that it will be the new council that actually decides whether or not to fund the review processes, suggesting there was no reason to delay putting them on the budget agenda.
“I think it’s our responsibility to carry this through,” Garritty said. “This is going to be coming to the new council anyways so I don’t see a need to postpone this decision.”
His fellow outgoing council colleague Carol Watamaniuk agreed.
“I think we’ve lived and breathed this and I think, before we leave, it is our responsibility to vote on this,” she said.
In the end, Burrows was the only councillor in favour of delaying.
The upcoming decision about whether or not to open up the MDP will be a difficult one, said Mayor Nolan Crouse. That process alone would take at least two years and involve considerable public consultation.
“I’m going to call it reasonably important but costly so I think we’re going to have an eye on the dollars,” Crouse said.
He said the infill development plan is a crucial part of the model for future growth. Whether or not the MDP review happens won’t affect developers who are currently working on plans within the city, Crouse said.
