WESTLOCK – Following months of administrative work that’s led to scores of revisions encompassed in a 99-page document, a three-week online survey that generated 58 responses and close to two hours of debate by councillors, the Town of Westlock’s updated land-use bylaw will be up for public review starting this week at the first of four open houses.
Although it’s not scheduled for final approval until later in 2022, the initial in-person public open house on the new bylaw is slated for April 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the lobby of the Rotary Spirit Centre, while a second goes at the same locale from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 5 — a session focused on business concerns also runs the same day from 6 to 8 p.m. After taking in that feedback, plus direct engagement with affected landowners for “site-specific re-districtings”, administration will smooth out the rough edges of the document before bringing it back to council by early fall —adoption of the document is expected in October before it comes into force Jan. 1, 2023.
Simply, land-use bylaws regulate and control the use and development of land and buildings in a municipality through design standards, population density, building development regulations, and any other matter council considers necessary to regulate land use.
Since the adoption of Land Use Bylaw No. 2015-02 seven years ago, administration has compiled a “list of revisions to correct errors, gaps and other issues that have been identified through practical application.” The goal of the update, which was presented to council by development officer Danielle Pougher and development services director Krystle Fedoretz, is to create a new bylaw which will help “town residents, businesses and developers navigate development activities and processes with ease.”
“If you look at our agenda packages over the years since we did it last time, we’ve made a number of amendments to the bylaw correcting some typographic errors, but also saying, ‘That was an unintended consequence and we need to fix that.’ So, it’s been in front of us numerous times,” said mayor Ralph Leriger, before councillors voted 7-0 at their April 19 committee of the whole meeting to accept the land-use bylaw update as information. “You’ve done fantastic work and a really nice job.”
CAO Simone Wiley, noting the 2015 version was not done in-house, called the project “long overdue” while Coun. Curtis Snell recalled the bylaw previous to the 2015 version was “less than 20 pages in total.”
“The development department is very fortunate to have Krystle and Danielle who tackled this large project. It takes a lot of time to put all this together,” said Wiley.
“It was a ton of work the first time and an equal ton of work this time. It’s very well done,” added Snell.
Although summaries of the proposed changes, ranging from the layout of the document to the rules on secondary structures like privacy walls and sheds, rooftop solar panels and portable fabric-covered structures are currently available online at the town’s website and social media, one of note is the addition of a fine structure.
While in the past the town could issue stop-work orders, the new bylaw includes a fine schedule that would see a $250 ticket handed out to people who don’t get a development permit, don’t comply with the bylaw, or fail to comply with the conditions of a development permit — a second offence nets a $500 fine, while a third offence rises to $1,000.
“Essentially it’s to allow for quicker enforcement on developments,” said Pougher. “Right now stop orders can be pretty lengthy and are able to be appealed. So, if you attach a fine to a ticket you’re going to get enforcement quicker. Of course, there’s always discretion on behalf of officer issuing the tickets, so there’s still the opportunity to give a warning first.”
