Minor adjustments coming to M.D. land-use bylaw

After the adoption of inter-municipal development plans with adjacent rural and urban municipalities, the Municipal District of Taber’s Land-Use Bylaw needed minor amendments.

The changes to the bylaw were brought to council’s regular meeting held on July 12 and council was updated on exactly what amendments were made.

The new Bylaw, No. 1979, is an amendment to the M.D. of Taber Land Use Bylaw No. 1722.

“This was an item that was brought to the last SDA (Subdivision and Development Authority) from an introductory perspective. The SDA did recommend it proceed to council and that is the stage we are at,” stated CAO Arlos Crofts.

Revisions within include revisions to circulation requirements for development permit applications, locational criteria and development, redesignation, and area structure plan considerations.

“I do want to point out that we will have two different amendments,” added Bonnie Brunner, senior planner with Oldman River Regional Services Commission. “Firstly, being this one the Land-Use Bylaw amendment for 1979 as well as the Municipal Plan amendment with the Land-Use Bylaw amendment in addition to the, we’ll call it the administrative changes that are mostly making reference to requirements for inter-municipal development plans. There is an inclusion of Class C industrial use to be listed as a discretionary use in the hamlet commercial district to allow consideration of such uses in the district.”

Brunner further touched on hamlet commercial districts.

“So this one isn’t specifically related to inter-municipal development plans, however, in the hamlet commercial districts, we do often have uses that we’re processing as a similar use classification. Therefore consistency with how they’re actually being processed. The recommendation is to include this in this bylaw amendment to specially identify these Class C rural industries as a specific use,” she said. “The inter-municipal development components of the proposal will require us to circulate the proposed amendments to all of our rural and urban municipalities for comment. And as such, given meeting schedules and timelines, the earliest we could hold a public hearing on this one will be your first available meeting in September.”

With only minor amendments coming at this stage, council inquired if any more changes would be made.

Brunner explained that eventually, more extensive changes to the bylaw would come in a matter of time.

“At our Subdivision and Development Authority meetings, there have been several major discussion items that have been identified over the past couple years that are going to require some considerable review that probably would not be appropriate to include in an amendment like this that is dealing with technical matters,” continued Brunner. “So, at this point in time, no, but certainly in a very short period of time we are going to have to look at some significant matters for the Land-Use Bylaw.”

Brunner also explained the update is just amendments to the previous bylaws and if council were to shift to totally new bylaws, they would have to rescind the old ones.

“Bylaw 1722 is the M.D. of Taber’s Land-Use Bylaw and Bylaw 1723 is the M.D. of Taber’s Municipal Development Plan. So, these two proposed amendments are amending the original bylaws,” she said.

“The only times that those would go away is if we adopt a brand new bylaw — a new Land-Use Bylaw or another Municipal Development Plan then these original bylaws — 1722 and 1723 would be rescinded.”

Council carried first reading of the bylaw unanimously.

The bylaw also requires a public hearing, which was set for Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.

Further to the adoption of inter-municipal development plans, amendments to the Municipal Development Plan Bylaw are also required for consistency.

“Bylaw No. 1980 proposes to update the Municipal Development Plan to reference requirements of adopted Inter-municipal Development Plans with adjacent municipalities, as applicable, including an amendment to Map 2 Confined Feeding Operations for consistency with the M.D. of Taber and Lethbridge County Inter-municipal Development Plan Bylaw No. 1938,” reads administration’s report.

“This is a proposal to update the Municipal Development Plan to reference requirements of all the adopted inter-municipal development plans with adjacent municipalities. Most of it is simply administrative in nature. There is one highlight and that is Map 2 for the confined feeding operations. (That) is proposing to update that consistent with the agreements with the M.D. of Taber and Lethbridge County intermunicipal development plan,” added Brunner.

Council unanimously approved first reading of the bylaw.

A public hearing is also required for this bylaw, which council set for their regular meeting on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.

Coun. Leavitt Howg was absent from the meeting.