Up to 5,400 more people could move into a bigger, greener Villeneuve over the next two decades, under the terms of a proposed new area structure plan.
Sturgeon County council approved first reading of the Villeneuve area structure plan at a meeting Tuesday. A public hearing on it is to be called this June.
The plan, if approved, would guide development in and around Villeneuve for the next 20 years and allow for considerable growth. Villeneuve would have up to 5,400 more residents under the plan, or about 24 times its current population.
It's hard to say when, or if, Villeneuve would ever grow to that size, says Don Hussey, lead consultant on the project, as it depends on developer interest. "The decision rests with someone else."
Area councillor Ken McGillis called the 5,400 figure "overly optimistic."
"The initial amount of land that's going to be developed is not sufficient to accommodate that many people." These density targets would be controversial, and he fully expected to hear about them at the upcoming public hearing.
Council also gave first reading to related amendments to the land use bylaw, municipal development plan and the region's sand and gravel structure plan.
ASP, take two
This is the county's second shot at making an ASP for Villeneuve. The previous one started in 2005, only to be shot down at first reading by council in 2008 due to poor public consultation.
Consultants held three public meetings with local stakeholders last year on the plan, Hussey said, and have tried to reach as many stakeholders as possible. "We've done the best we can."
The plan itself covers the lands around the hamlet of Villeneuve and the Villeneuve Airport, according to its most recent draft. If approved, the hamlet would expand to cover the airport and house up to 1,800 units of housing, or about 9.25 gross units per hectare (600 per quarter section).
The plan proposes to put homes on about three quarter sections west of the current hamlet arranged in a "clustered residential" style — picture pods of homes on cul-de-sacs separated by long parks. The idea, Hussey said, is to spread parks and pathways throughout the homes to make them more pedestrian-friendly.
"Rather than having sidewalks that follow the road, we'd have a walkway system that would go from one destination to another." Clustering would also reduce the cost of servicing each home.
These would be mostly single-family dwellings, the plan says, with some row housing permitted around the West Country Hearth seniors' housing project and a few duplexes. These new homes would be separated from the current ones by a wide green space, which could be a park or schoolyard.
The plan designates two wide swaths of land on either side of these homes as hamlet reserve to separate them from an existing gravel pit and a potential future ring road, Hussey said. These lands would be re-zoned as the region develops. It also features a light/medium industrial site to the north and southeast of the airport for businesses such as restaurants, truck stops and workshops.
The plan includes two focal points for commercial development along Highway 633 west of Villeneuve. The exact nature of these developments would be determined as the community grows, Hussey said. "When you're five minutes away from St. Albert ... it's kind of difficult to plan putting in more commercial."
The airport would have a larger, better-defined commercial zone near its runways.
The highway question
Hovering over this plan is a big question mark called Alberta Transportation.
Alberta Transportation wants to expand Hwy. 633 to four lanes due to traffic loads, Hussey said, "which was way over the top, we felt."
As having a major highway through Villeneuve would make it tough for it to grow, his team has asked the province to build a bypass around Villeneuve and turn the highway into an arterial within the community, making it more accessible to residents. If the province disagrees, the plan would have to be revisited.
The plan can still be amended when it comes back to second reading, noted Coun. Tom Flynn. "Nothing in here is set in stone yet," he said. "This is a good starting point for us to go ahead."
Copies of the draft plan are available at the county office.
