Rosebud Area Structure Plan revamp

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

The Area Structure Plan for Rosebud has received a facelift.
“It’s just cleaned up and reorganized,” said Gerry Melenka, Wheatland County community planner. “Residents say it’s easier to read and understand. It began as an update, but really took on a life of its own.”
Melenka said the plan accommodates mixed use designations, previously missing from the plan, which is important to many businesses in the Rosebud area. The revamp also aligned land use bylaws with recommendations by the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan.
The plan states the community vision is that “Rosebud is a charming, authentic, cultural and artistic hamlet, where the economy has grown to revolve around a blossoming theatre school and dinner theatre. In the future, Rosebud will remain a safe and welcoming place for residents and visitors, and will have added capacity through new bed and breakfasts and other small scale lodging operations. Growth will be important, but not at the detriment of the current scenic and quaint valley community. Future growth will be well-managed and limited to specific areas of the hamlet, and new buildings will need to conform to architectural standards and design guidelines to protect the small-town scale and feeling of Rosebud. Economic growth will be balanced with preserving the local ecosystem, by protecting trees and limiting development in sensitive areas.”
The Area Structure Plan outlines guidelines for development including commercial, industrial interests and concepts for future development. Diagrams for recreational areas were also outlined.
The Rosebud River properties also came up for first reading at the June 21 meeting. The proposal is for 18 residential lots and one commercial lot to be re-designated from agricultural to hamlet residential and commercial designation.
The properties bylaw had come before council twice in the past and was defeated at second reading for various reasons. It then expired and now has passed the first reading under Bylaw 2015-47. It will fall under the revised guidelines once the draft has passed third reading.
The next step for both bylaws is public hearings at Wheatland County council chambers.
The draft of the revamped Area Structure Plan can be viewed on the Wheatland County website under Bylaw 2015-05 attachments of the June 21 agenda.