Red Deer aims to ‘refresh’ Land Use Bylaw
The City of Red Deer is reviewing rules about building heights, backyard suites and other aspects of the Land Use Bylaw.
At Monday’s council meeting, administration presented the What We Heard & What We’re Recommending Report as part of the Land Use Bylaw Review Project, and councillors accepted the report as information.
All residential, commercial and industrial zones are being reviewed by city planners and various changes are being suggested. Regulations regarding parking, landscaping and accessory buildings are also being considered.
The city’s major projects manager Dan Girardin told council the point of this review is to refresh the Land Use Bylaw — which has not been updated in 25 years — so it addresses current public concerns, reduces red tape for developers, and is easier to use.
The City of Red Deer has been moving in this direction anyway— for instance, by giving more discretion to city development officers so that builders don’t have to take more time to get their projects approved through the Municipal Planning Commission.
Girardin explained the goal is to “balance certainty with flexibility.” But Red Deerians should not expect drastic changes, he added, since “planning is not a sprint, it is a marathon.”
During the public participation process, city staff consulted with more than 300 citizens, 60 businesses/developers/realtors, 50 youth and 30 newcomers from 2021 to 2023.
The topics that sparked the most public discussion were infill developments in mature neighbourhoods, backyard suites and in-house suites, duplexes built in residential low-density zoning, and building heights. Parking and landscaping requirements were other concerns.
The Land Use Bylaw will come back to City Council on March 18 for first reading.
