The second phase of a project shaping the future of the Land Use Bylaw in Lethbridge is in its final stage, with a new survey available for residents.
The bylaw sets out rules and procedures for what kind of building or activity can happen on private property, outlining the process for issuing development permits.
This means residents would usually encounter the bylaw if they were planning to build on their property or move their business.
Through previous surveys and engagement sessions, feedback was gathered from over 1,400 residents and stakeholders.
Senior Planner and Project Manager Genesis Molesky says some of the hot topics included everything from people wishing to see a reduction of red tape for commercial and industrial development, concerns about housing affordability and densification.
This new survey focuses on proposed changes based on five topics:
- Housing
- Local businesses and the economy
- Downtown
- Parking
- Notifications
“The proposed changes attempt to balance the reduction of regulatory barriers, while still addressing the concerns of the community,” Molesky says.
On the note about parking, respondents have said it is important that all residential developments have the appropriate amount of parking spaces for the building’s residents.
“In this case, they really want to keep their parking and so the proposed change is to reduce the parking requirement and maintain it in some cases for residential uses. Other cities have [eliminated] parking requirements, but that is not something we find suitable for Lethbridge,” Molesky states.
“We’re not proposing to eliminate parking requirements for residential uses, however for commercial and industrial uses, we are proposing to move toward an open parking requirement, which means the City would not require a minimum number of parking spaces. We would [allow] the business owners [or] developers decide how much parking their business [and] their clients need, so that is a shift from having the City regulate how much parking a business needs versus a business owner knowing how much parking they need to provide to be successful.”
Molesky says one consistent response was that many people find the current Land Use Bylaw difficult to understand, so clearing it up is a focus going forward.
After this latest engagement process, the next step will be sharing feedback with council.
“Following this, depending on council’s recommendation and comments, we’ll go away and actually spend about a year writing the Land Use Bylaw,” she says,
“So, at this point, it’s all proposed changes and we want to hear what the community wishes to see before we begin writing a brand-new bylaw.”
The survey is available online until Friday, July 4. More on the feedback received through previous engagement initiatives is available in the ‘What We Heard Report’.
“If you want it to be easier to add that secondary suite to your home or open a new business in your neighbourhood, now is the time to provide your feedback,” adds Lethbridge mayor Blaine Hyggen.
“The information gathered in this survey will help inform City Council decisions about the future of the Land Use Bylaw and shape the future of Lethbridge.”
An open house is also scheduled for Wednesday, June 18 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Galt Museum and Archives.
–With files from Stan Ashbee, My Lethbridge Now
