An application for a residence in Kneehill County unveiled a gap in minimum square footage requirements in the county’s Land Use Bylaw (LUB) during the Tuesday, September 21 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Manager of Planning and Development Barb Hazelton brought the discussion forward to council following a request from the August 25 Municipal Planning Commission meeting which triggered a conversation about the gap in requirements.
“The subject application was for a residence that did not meet the minimum square footage for Ag District, but was too large to meet the definition of a tiny home under the current LUB,” Hazelton said during her presentation at the September meeting.
She noted administration will propose draft changes to the LUB in the new year, and stated administration can include changes regarding the housing issue at the same time.
Hazelton’s recommendation was to make the LUB as least intrusive as possible by setting a maximum 1,000 square foot discretionary size for garden suites, keeping the maximum discretionary tiny house size at 500 square feet, and removing the 800 square foot minimum requirement from some county districts including the Agriculture and Manufactured Home districts.
Hazelton noted this would allow all single family dwellings to be permitted, so long as it was over 500 square feet and was not a secondary residence, garden suite, or tiny home.
She added other municipalities in the area have varying square footage requirements-Wheatland County, which borders Kneehill County, has no minimum square footage requirement in its Agriculture District, though Hazelton noted there were several designations within their Eagle Lake/Speargrass development.
Reeve Jerry Wittstock moved for administration to bring the proposed amendments back to council in the new year.

Tom Zariski has lived and worked in the Drumheller Valley for the last 45 years and is running for re-election on the Town of Drumheller Council.
Mr. Zariski retired as principal of Drumheller Composite High School and has maintained his activity within the community through serving on numerous committees and boards, including as President of the Newcastle Community Association, Chair of the Drumheller Seniors Foundation, among others. In 2002, Mr. Zariski was named the Town of Drumheller Citizen of the Year; he also received the Golf Canada Volunteer of the Year in 2017.
“I feel my mission as a Councillor is to work collaboratively with all members of the community--not-for-profit sector, other orders of government, and the private sector to develop the necessary infrastructure, cultural, recreational, and social amenities which are necessary and of benefit to all members of the community, regardless of their age, sex or economic position,” Mr. Zariski says in a press release.
He wants to help facilitate making the Town of Drumheller a high-quality environment where residents will recommend to their friends and families, businesses will prefer for their business and employees, professionals will prefer to work and for their clients, and somewhere employees and residents will be proud of.
He hopes to attract future economic development prospects and seek long-term returns. If elected, he will work towards an inclusive high quality of life for all members of the community, while also making sure there is a quality experience for visitors.
Mr. Zariski adds drought mitigation, making Downtown Drumheller an attraction, and a bicycle master plan for the valley are future projects needed. He says he would also like to see a study on using effluent water on gardens and flowerbeds rather than potable tap water, and to work towards more dog parks, pickleball courts, and baseball diamonds.