The Town and MD of Bonnyville will be having a discussion with residents about the future of development in the area.
The Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) open house will be held at the Neighbourhood Inn on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with a presentation at 6:30 p.m.
This session will be used to discuss the future of planning and development in the area, and to gather input from land and homeowners about what they would like to see.
“The IDP will provide the Town of Bonnyville and MD of Bonnyville direction of future growth and development for the lands surrounding the town municipal boundaries, as well as outline any opportunities or challenges for planning this area,” said Katherine Currie, director of planning and development for the town. “We will be developing a process for referrals on development and subdivision applications to coordinate planning information and as well as direction for future servicing needs for these areas.”
MD CAO Chris Cambridge added, “The idea is that it's an opportunity to look at drawings. It's kind of a long range planning type of thing.”
The purpose of this open house is to make sure that properties on both sides of the boundary line up, and future plans make sense for the people who own the land.
“If I am planning a rural subdivision next to the town you want to make sure the roads line up and that type of thing. This is more about land use to make sure that as the town grows and develops that we don't run into things that conflict with different uses and make sure that the road networks work out,” explained Cambridge.
The Town and MD of Bonnyville are also using the open house as an opportunity to make sure there aren't any objections from the landowners.
“It's to inform the people and to see if anything has been missed; to see what those comments are,” explained Cambridge. “The idea is to make sure there aren't conflicts and to ensure that land uses are compatible with each other over time.”
Hosting meetings like these are now required under the Municipal Government Act (MGA). Residents are encouraged to drop into the event to discuss any concerns or ideas with the consultants who will be there.
“You can see in general what development could happen and what zoning could happen in the future,” said Cambridge. “It shows how growth will happen over time and make sure that different land users don't conflict as the town grows or the MD puts in different industrial or residential uses in the area.”
For more information on this event contact the Town of Bonnyville at 780-826-3496 or the MD of Bonnyville at 780-826-3171.
