A more flexible, easier-to-use Land Use Bylaw (LUB) moved closer to becoming the law of the land Oct. 1.
City councillors on that date voted unanimously to advance Bylaw 18/2024 through first reading ahead of a public hearing prior to second and third readings in council chambers at St. Albert Place on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
Among the goals of city staff for the new bylaw, which represents the first comprehensive review in nearly two decades of the set of rules that governs development within every square inch of St. Albert, is to align those rules with the vision set out in Flourish: Growing to 100K, the city’s now two-year-old development plan.
“With the change in policy direction, we wanted to make sure that the Land Use Bylaw was keeping pace and reflecting what we want our community to look like and how we want it to grow,” Barb Dupuis, a planner with the city, said Friday.
After 19 years, there was some housekeeping to do. Now that the furniture is rearranged and the carpets have been thoroughly whacked, pending further revisions suggested or demanded by city council, the Land Use Bylaw’s online presence will be transposed from a series of static pdfs to a searchable web-friendly format.
“So we're hoping that it's more user friendly for the people so that they can find information easier and be able to better understand what they can do on their parcels of land.”
Where Flourish sets the vision from a bird’s eye view, the bylaw contains all the details in terms of what is permitted on the ground.
“It sets out uses and heights and parcel sizes and parcel depths, so it's a bit more specific in its regulations,” Dupuis explained.
Development officer Chelsea Thompson added, “It's a detailed technical document that provides regulations and guidance and that applies to our development industry, our businesses, as well as residents.
“So, you want to do something at your house, you're going to look there; you want to open a new business or do something related to a commercial development, you're going to look there; you want to build a whole shopping centre, you're going to look there.”
The work to update the LUB began in January 2022. The comprehensive review allowed planners to take a step back from the multiple minor updates in reaction to this or that development over the years.
“This new one has allowed us to actually sit down and go from page one to last page to the last map,” Thompson said. “We've assessed every section, we've gone over every figure (and examined) internally where we know things needed some verbiage updates, as well as looking at what we're hearing for feedback from residents and from industry: Trends like green initiatives and alternative housing types.”
Thompson said every single residential class has been tweaked in some way.
This includes expanding the number of places secondary suites can spring up. Currently, such suites are permitted only in outbuildings on lots with single detached homes. If the new LUB is adopted, such suites will be permitted in semi-Ds and duplexes, or within the single detached home. Also, homes in the city’s low-density residential (LDR) districts could host two suites provided one of them is internal — for example, one in the basement and one over the garage. Currently, each home may only have one secondary suite.
Proposed on the other side of the planning spectrum is a new Industry district coded IND that would be zoned to host heavier industrial properties than are found in the ICS industrial and commercial services districts, for example in the Campbell Business Park.
It’s one of four new districts created under the draft LUB, alongside a conservation-oriented district, a new business park district and another land use district. Also, number of similar land use districts have been consolidated.
As always, there are some deadlines to keep in mind if you have feedback for the city. Written submissions must be received no later than noon Wednesday, Oct. 9.
At the hearing, members of the public who register with organizers will be allowed to speak for up to five minutes. You can stand and be counted in advance by emailing [email protected] or simply sign the list at the door.
Coun. Mike Killick pulled the first reading of the new Land Use Bylaw for discussion because he had questions about when it is best to make amendments to the draft. He may have some suggestions of his own to air at the hearing.
"It’s such a critical document, it’s over 500 pages long,” he said before voting it through first reading (it's actually 782 pages long). “It touches every part of the city, every developer, every community.”
