Public hearings to address IDPs for Special Areas at one session on March 10
Special Areas Board will be holding a public hearing in Youngstown on March 10 to address a draft Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) that includes eight municipalities that share fringe areas with Special Areas.
“IDPs are documents between two municipalities for future planning and plans for growth and collaboration between the two,” said Maeghan Chostner, communications officer for Special Areas.
The IDPs define the fringe areas and any development within these areas are subject to land use regulations and referrals.
Municipalities in Alberta were required by the provincial government several years ago to develop IDPs with their neighbours and Special Areas would have had to develop 16 IDPs under the initial legislation.
“The IDP frameworks became mandatory in 2017 and at the time, we would have had to have 16 IDPs,” said Chostner. “The government then amended the legislation so if both municipalities agreed they didn’t need one right away, they wouldn’t have to get them done.”
Of the 16 IDPs for the area, eight didn’t need to be done right away, primarily because of sparse populations and no development in those areas.
The Special Areas Board must however, have IDPs with the following municipalities where there are fringe areas with along Special Areas borders: -Village of Veteran
-Village of Consort
-County of Paintearth No. 18 -M.D. of Provost No. 52
-M.D. of Acadia No. 34
-Town of Drumheller
-Wheatland County
-County of Newell
“The public hearings are for anybody who is impacted by the IDPs and for them to share any feedback,” she said.
All eight public hearings will be held in one sitting at the Youngstown Service Centre on Tuesday, March 10, starting at 11 a.m. The draft IDPs can be viewed online at: www.specialareas.ab.ca
Comments on the draft IDPs can be sent to: Maeghan Chostner, communications officer, Special Areas Board, Box 820 Hanna, AB, T0J 1P0; Attn IDP public consultation or via email at public.input@specialareas. ab.ca