Red Deer County wants public feedback on a series of tweaks being made to its Land Use Bylaw.
The public are invited to attend an information session at Red Deer County Centre, just west of the Highway 2 and 32nd Street interchange, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Among the changes the county is proposing to the 373-page document is the addition of a number of new potential land uses to the bylaw. Among them are data processing facilities, electric vehicle charging station, wedding venues, hydrovac waste disposal facilities, roadside advertising signs and private campgrounds for up to three units on agriculture-zoned land.
“The county is proposing to add these uses due to increased demand from residents and to ensure these types of developments are directed to the appropriate districts,” says the county’s website.
Changes to the policies around solar farms are also proposed, including eliminating a requirement that they be 100 acres or less — a limitation that no longer fits emerging trends. The county is also proposing that those building solar farms be required to meet additional requirements, such as having a reclamation plan, securities, insurance and that there be an agricultural component to the operating plan.
Several red tape reduction measures are also proposed, such as allowing development officers to approve relaxations for real property reports, which could shave four to six weeks off application processing times. Development officers would also be empowered to approve one-year time extensions, cutting processing times by two to three weeks.
The county is also planning to clean up the bylaw to make it easier to understand and calculate parking or landscaping requirements.