Lacombe County developments already partway through the approval process will not be affected by new proposed regulations for Sylvan Lake.
County commissioner Hager said a number of housing projects are at various stages of approval and could have been impacted by new development regulations.
“The way the current legislation is written, when council gives consideration to third and final reading, they have to consider the current bylaw that is in place.”
In some cases, developers may find a new area structure plan in place when their project reaches the final approval stage.
“All of a sudden the rules have changed for them,” said Hager. “So what council has said is that any development that has received first reading, they will be treated under the existing plan.”
The Sylvan Lake Area Structure Plan is expected to be approved before the October municipal elections. Council will also take the same approach with a Gull Lake Management Plan that is being overhauled.
The grandfathering is particularly important on Sylvan Lake because the new area structure plan is expected to require all new developments to tie into a regional or municipal sewer lines.
That would stop any developments in the works from proceeding unless they built a sewer line to connect to Sylvan Lake because there is no line in place and it could be years before it happens.
Under current regulations, the county is allowing new developments to proceed on the condition that sewage goes to communal holding tanks and then effluent is trucked away to a disposal site.
The draft area structure plan for Sylvan Lake has generated concerns among some that it will allow too much development and could threaten the lake’s health.
Under the proposal, new housing will be introduced including up to 8,500 residences comprised of multi-family housing, and semi and single detached homes. Fully built out, the housing, which would be built in clusters, could add 21,250 more people to areas near the shoreline.
The proposed requirement that new developments tie into a regional sewer line is meant to ensure that the lake is protected from effluent from nearby housing. Setbacks, environmental and storm water management plans would also be required to prevent runoff reaching the lake.
The plan also calls for two-year breathing periods between development phases so that their impact on the lake can be evaluated before following phases are approved.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com