Drumheller Seeks Resident Feedback on Proposed Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Development Plan Changes

Posted on Oct. 31 2022

At a Regular Council Meeting on October 24, Administration proposed revisions to the current Land Use Bylaw (LUB) and a few edits to the Municipal Development Plan (MDP). Council passed the first reading for both proposed bylaws, with public hearings scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2022 at 5:30 pm at Council Chambers in Town Hall.

An open house to capture resident feedback is scheduled for Thursday, November 17 from 6:00pm until 8:00pm at the Badlands Community Facility in conjunction with the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office Berm Open House. This open house will not have formal presentations; however, a variety of information booths for the East Coulee, Hospital, Michichi Creek, and Downtown Berms will have a table set up with information on their respective projects, alongside the MDP and LUB.

Municipal Development Plan 17.20 was passed in December 2020. Like the Land Use Bylaw, the Municipal Development Plan is a statutory document. The MDP provides citizens and businesses with information on how the municipality will address the current and future needs of the community, including land use, transportation systems, municipal services and environmental considerations. The Municipal Development Plan is an ongoing document that may be amended from time to time as the Town’s vision changes.

“The key changes to the current MDP include amendments to the berm design top, references to freeboard and references to berm elevation to accurately reflect the province’s 1850cms flow rate,” explains Darryl Drohomerski, CAO for the Town of Drumheller. “We have heard some frustrations from members of the public that our document does not currently match what the Government of Alberta has outlined, so we are seeking to make that adjustment.”

The Land Use Bylaw 16.20 took effect on March 1, 2021, with some amendments passed in September of last year. With the Bylaw already in use, several potential improvements were noted to offer clarity and guidance to its authority, the public and administration. On Monday, October 24, 2022, nearly forty pages of proposed revisions were presented.

Key changes include:

Removal of Land Use Overview Maps and Flood Hazard Overlay Maps
Land Use Zoning reclassification for properties originally incorrectly zoned and/or parcel boundaries being incorrect
Additional regulations for Specific Use Standards
Removal of poorly defined "Dwelling Unit" and "Dwelling Unit - Temporary" and redefine all forms of Dwelling Unit, this will aid residents and developers in defining their residential developments
Eases Signage permit process for new businesses
Addition of definitions and regulations for Secondary Suites and Garden Suites
Addition of definitions and regulations for Mobile Home Parks
Additional definitions and regulations for Industrial Uses within the Employment District
Addition of Murals within the Downtown District to provide regulations as well as align with Downtown Area Revitalization Plan 10.21

To offer feedback on the proposed changes, residents are encouraged to contact the Town of Drumheller’s Development Office at 403-823-1310 or development@drumheller.ca for more information, attend the Open House on November 17 and/or attend the public hearing on December 5, 2022.