Wheatland draft Land Use Bylaw released

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

The draft of the new Land Use Bylaw (LUB) for Wheatland County was posted on their website July 4 for public viewing. The draft outlines rules, regulations and use of properties and buildings within Wheatland County.
“This is a lead-in to activity in months to come,” said Gerry Melenka, planning manager for Wheatland County. The draft can be seen on the County website (wheatlandcounty.ca).
The draft outlines permitted and discretionary uses for each category of land use. The various guidelines for the many direct control areas are also included.
“One key goal in rewriting the draft Land Use Bylaw was to design it with a concise, stream-lined format that would make it easier for ratepayers and developers to use. Utilizing plain language throughout the document was also a key focus when preparing the LUB,” said Melenka
There is clarification for situations that developed over the years in council, since the last LUB. Some of the additions include new district designations. For instance, a new Hamlet Mixed-Use District is proposed to allow for a greater range of live/work options within hamlets, such as residential units located above a ground floor retail shop; a new Rural Business District is proposed to allow for rural business pursuits outside of hamlets, such as farmers markets, fruit wineries and other businesses that fit within an agricultural setting; a new Parks and Recreation District is proposed, which will replace the current Recreational District and provide more open space opportunities.
Some districts were removed, such as the Agriculture Small Holding District, due in part to challenges implementing its requirement with respect to conflicting land uses and business plans.
In the current LUB, there are three hamlet residential districts. The county is proposing to simplify this by merging all three hamlet residential districts into the existing land use district of Hamlet Residential General District. This does not impact taxes and the uses are largely the same. The only major change in this alignment is that manufactured homes will no longer be allowed within this district. Existing manufactured homes would be grandfathered and therefore will not be affected.
The Waste-Solid Waste Management District and the Waste-Waste Transfer Site District are proposed to be merged into a new Public Utility District for all parcels in the county used for public utilities, infrastructure and essential public services.
The Highway Corridor Overlay is proposed to be removed. Elements within this overlay will be moved and expanded upon within the rules and regulations of the LUB and specific commercial and industrial districts.
Regulations are streamlined. An example would be grain bins and silos that no longer require a development permit in the draft LUB. The intent is to make it easier for the farming community through this proposed change. The draft LUB is also proposing garden suites within most residential land use districts, which will allow for aging parents to live with their children, adult children to stay with their parents or rental opportunities for additional revenue streams.
Some aspects of Animal Unit requirements were eliminated.
“Regardless of your parcel size, the draft Land Use Bylaw is proposing to eliminate the arbitrary limits controlling how many farm animals one can have on their parcel outside of hamlets,” said Melenka. “Staff worked with the SPCA and other stakeholders when considering the removal of animal unit controls.”
Alternative energy was addressed through eased regulations for solar panels and solar farms, i.e the shift of solar panels from a discretionary to permitted use in many districts, making it easier for landowners to generate their own power. Solar farms are also proposed as a form of mass power generation in the county, given the changing economic realities of power generation and the focus on clean energy.
Some things remain the same. In the draft LUB, Wheatland County would be required to follow the same process for planning and development applications, as all county ratepayers.
“This will ensure accountability, transparency and ensure ratepayers who may be impacted by a county-led project have an opportunity to be heard,” said Melenka.
There were clarifications on medical marijuana facilities and signage as well.
Melenka said the document pays attention to some of the new initiatives put forward by the new Municipal Government Act and cleans up other areas that were not addressed by the old bylaw.
Public hearings are tentatively scheduled for fall and may run interspersed or currently with Area Structure Plan (ASP) reviews.
“Over the past 18 months the planning and development department hosted four open houses across the county, provided social media updates via Facebook, Twitter and the county website, conducted two online surveys, sent a letter to all ratepayers in the 2016 tax notices and posted notices via info boards in each of the county’s hamlets,” said Melenka.
“The public engagement was far-reaching and extensive to ensure the county’s ratepayers had an opportunity to provide input and be informed of the proposed changes in the draft Land Use Bylaw. There were also multiple meetings with key external stakeholder groups, as well as internal departments to help create the document.”
The draft LUB was given first reading in council on July 19. A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20 at which time staff will present the draft LUB to the public and council for approval.
The next ASP public hearing is for Rosebud and is scheduled for Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. in Wheatland County council chambers.