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City council approves Evergreen Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan

Red Deer’s newest northeast neighbourhood — Evergreen — is gaining ground.

Red Deer’s newest northeast neighbourhood — Evergreen — is gaining ground.

City council passed a bylaw amendment cementing the Evergreen Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan on Monday.

The neighbourhood is located northeast of the 67th Street and 30th Avenue intersection.

It will boast natural areas, mixed land uses, connectivity and eight different housing types.

Coun. Dianne Wyntjes said she is looking forward to watching the area develop and to see what the next chapter of this growth brings to the city.

The Evergreen community will have the option to allow a Home Owners Association (HOA). This would be the a first in Red Deer for an entire community.

An association would provide a level of service or maintenance of the community that are above the city standards.

Coun. Tanya Handley raised concerns about the impact a HOA would have on future planning for neighbouring sites.

She noted that having a HOA might limit who moves into this community because of the added fees.

If an association is formed, the city and the HOA would hammer out a deal to determine responsibility for services.

Director of Planning Kim Fowler used Calgary as an example to illustrate a scenario.

She said the HOA would be responsible for plowing the boulevards (middle sections between roads) and the city would be responsible for its standard snow clearing and road maintenance.

In other council news:

l One councillor wants the city to look at options for reducing air conditioner noise.

Coun. Paul Harris introduced a notice of motion asking the city to advocate for changes to the Alberta Building and Safety Codes. The notice of motion also asks administration to explore ways to strengthen the development permit process to include standards to mitigate noise from residential heating and cooling systems including establishing a maximum decibel level.

The notice of motion will be considered in two weeks.

l Red Deer had a strong presence at the last week’s Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention in Edmonton.

Its temporary foreign worker resolution was passed unanimously as an emergency resolution by the delegation on Friday. The resolution calls on the province to lobby for changes to the federal government that address the abuses in the program.

“I think this has been one of our most productive AUMA meetings,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “Historically we have always been strong participants but I think the receptivity from the premiers office and the cabinet portfolio tells me we are making significant headway in positioning Red Deer’s role as third largest city and capitalizing on the influence that we have.”

crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com