Red Deer County will use a City of Red Deer parks development plan for the river valley as a guideline for future expansion of trails and other recreational areas.
The city adopted its River Valley and Tributaries Park Concept Plan last month. The plan, which was developed with support from the county, recommends that the municipality consider making the river a municipal park within city limits and put measures in place to protect it. Potential locations for regional trails and parks are also identified in the plan.
Councillor George Gehrke said having these kinds of plans in place allows future development proposals to be dealt with much quicker and makes it clear to everyone what the goals of the municipalities are.
Twenty-one recommendations are included in the plan, such as creating buffer zones along streams and pursuing federal and provincial dollars to expand the trail system. More than 7,135 acres of parkland and 358 km of trails could be added, the plan suggests.
In the county, an Open Spaces Master Plan has been adopted to guide development. Council’s unanimously voted on Tuesday to use both the city and county plans when considering future development.
The county and city have long been co-operating on planning for future growth. An intermunicipal development plan signed by the two municipalities calls for the establishment of a linear park system, where possible, focused on the Red Deer and Blindman Rivers and Piper and Waskasoo Creeks.