Red Deer council will consider the project philosophy of the Land Use Bylaw Review Project at its next regular meeting this upcoming Monday.
Every municipality in Alberta is required to have a Land Use Bylaw, which establishes rules and regulations for land development and the process of decision making for development permit applications, the City of Red Deer explained in a media release Friday.
A Land Use Bylaw Review Project has been underway in Red Deer since 2021, with plans to present a new bylaw to city council for approval later this year. The primary intent of the review project is to increase flexibility and adaptability by reducing regulations where they are not necessary.
The document will be simplified to enhance usability, leading to an improved customer experience, according to the media release.
A new Land Use Bylaw would aim to provide an opportunity to prepare the City of Red Deer for future building trends and market demands. The new bylaw will include revised content for general, residential, commercial and industrial regulations.
Administration is checking in with council on the project philosophy and reporting on considerations that will inform future public participation on the project, including:
- Providing a wider variety of housing choices in residential areas,
- Consolidating several residential and commercial zonings to simplify development,
- Adding new uses to nearly all areas,
- Standardizing some discretionary uses, and
- Considering more compatible mixed-uses, such as commercial-residential districts and home occupations.
The project philosophy aims to balance our city’s current and future needs while providing reasonable regulations to transition to future needs.
“The Land Use Bylaw philosophy and project framework support the direction of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, particularly the need to be future focused,” said city manager Tara Lodewyk.
“A new bylaw can better enable the city to support a local economy where it is easy to establish or expand a business and can position Red Deer as a competitive municipality with affordable housing choices.”
Comments on the new Land Use Bylaw are welcome during the project and can be provided via an online survey available at www.reddeer.ca/surveys.
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