Sturgeon County residents will get to have their say on the future of the Villeneuve region in just over a month.
County council approved the public engagement strategy for the upcoming area structure plan for the Villeneuve Airport region during its Dec. 14 meeting.
Council approved the Villeneuve Airport Area master plan in November. This broad-strokes document proposes to turn the lands around Villeneuve Airport into a hub of aerospace, green-tech, agri-food, and logistical innovation, which could in 20 years create some 1,766 jobs and about $1 billion in one-time economic impact. Administration is now working on a more detailed area structure plan to implement the master plan.
This is the county’s fourth attempt at an area structure plan for Villeneuve since 2005. Council scrapped the first plan in 2008 due to poor public consultation and saw the second one sunk by the Capital Region Board (CRB) in 2013. Council stopped work on the third in 2016 due to uncertainties around plans the CRB and Edmonton Airports had for the Villeneuve region.
Brandy MacInnis, a consultant working on this latest plan for Villeneuve, proposed to have county residents weigh in on it through two virtual forums. The first, scheduled for late January or early February, will focus on the airport area master plan and target Villeneuve-area residents and landowners. Administration will create a draft plan for discussion at a second online forum in March, with members of the Villeneuve Landing Network reviewing the plan during an online workshop. The revised draft will go before council for approval some time before the end of June.
Coun. Neal Comeau said this engagement process will tell council what residents want to see happen around Villeneuve.
“This is a really energetic project that could bring a lot of good things to the county.”
Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said she hopes this plan’s potential for economic growth will help it win support at the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (which regulates such plans in the Edmonton region).
“Hopefully, fourth time’s the charm,” she said, referring to the county’s previous planning attempts.
