Two cornerstone documents for the Town of Drumheller, the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB), passed third reading during the regular Drumheller council meeting on Monday, December 7.
Amendments were made to the documents following a first reading in August this year, followed by a series of neighbourhood engagement sessions in mid-to-late October to let the public provide input.
“They (the MDP and LUB) needed modernization, but more than that, they needed to acknowledge the single biggest threat to development in the community--the river--and address how that threat can be reduced,” Councillor Jay Garbutt said during the meeting. “Using flood program funds to bring these new documents forward is the best reflection, so far, on leveraging that investment.”
Some feedback from the neighbourhood engagement sessions requested the MDP protect the unique landscape of the Badlands and palaeontological areas.
Using this information, additional changes were made to the MDP, adding new regulations to protect the escarpment edge, a new analysis map, and stronger language to protect palaeontological resources.
Changes to the LUB will work with the MDP to further protect palaeontological resources and will streamline development by reducing the previous 21 land use designations down to eight.
New maps were developed to provide clearer and more detailed information, and additional information on the role of the Development Officer was defined based on feedback from the October engagement sessions.
“All the suggestions everyone made, all the comments, they’re not going to be stored on a shelf,” said Councillor Tom Zariski during the council meeting. “They are going to be reviewed and we will possibly use them in the future.”
Third reading was passed unanimously.
Changes to these two documents will come into effect in March 2021 and will receive ongoing evaluations, with the first estimated for June 2021.
