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Woodlea redevelopment standards return to city council

Public hearing set for March 19
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Proposed redevelopment standards for Woodlea were approved by the municipal planning commission. (Photo by SUSAN ZIELINSKI/Advocate staff)

Woodlea residents have another opportunity to provide input to define redevelopment standards in their neighbourhood.

On Wednesday the municipal planning commission unanimously approved a Land Use Bylaw amendment to preserve the character of the neighbourhood. The amendment returns to city council on March 19 where a public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. before council considers second reading.

Character statements have been developed by the city with assistance from community members and the Woodlea Community Association for the areas of Central Woodlea, Chinese Market Garden and Nazarene Camp within Woodlea, and for the entire neighbourhood.

Senior planner Christi Fidek said character statements define what makes a neighbourhood unique or special compared to the rest of Red Deer.

Woodlea is an older neighbourhood developed around the same time as nearby Waskasoo, but is unique enough to have its own set of design standards to maintain its character, she said.

Central Woodlea has some of the most historic homes in Red Deer along 45th Avenue. Smaller ranch-style homes along 43 Avenue, 42A Avenue and 42 Avenue, can be found in the Chinese Market Garden area. Nazarene Camp has original one-storey bungalows with hipped roofs and ranch-style homes.

“Some of the key elements we see within Woodlea is that they have tree-lined streets, separated sidewalks, large front yard setbacks from the road, lots of space between homes, and the just the neighbourhood itself is quite spacious,” Fidek said on Wednesday.

Front yard vehicle access would be allowed in areas where they are currently part of the character of the street. Front yard setbacks are to be compatible with existing front yard setbacks on the block.

She said landowners can still choose what style of home they want, for example modern, but the typical flat roof of a modern design would need to incorporate a slope in some way to blend into the existing character of Woodlea.

“The landowner has the flexibility to choose what the style of the home is. It’s not dictated by what is currently on the street or what has been developed previously in the neighbourhood.“

It’s about adding some design details from neighbouring houses so redevelopments visually blend into the streetscape.



szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com

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