The final draft of the Aspendale Area Structure Plan (ASP) was approved by Town of Westlock council at its latest meeting on Aug. 11.
The ASP has been in development by engineering firm Beairsto & Associates since December 2024 as part of the town’s housing strategy, which aims to improve the housing market in Westlock.
Beairsto & Associates hosted several open house information sessions in March and June where they received feedback from Westlock residents on the plan.
“We have local road networks that follow a loop and cul-de-sac pattern to discourage cut-through traffic, reduce speeds and foster a quiet neighbourhood environment,” said Baily Lapp, manager for the ASP. “That is something that we heard multiple times at the open houses, that there was a concern there would be cut-through traffic through this neighbourhood, so that's one way we mitigated that.”
Most of the housing in the ASP is single-family homes with a priority on building a neighbourhood that doesn't look out of place compared to others in town.
There was some concern expressed by a member of the public at the meeting about the increased medium- and high-density housing in the ASP compared to other Westlock neighbourhoods.
“The population number is based on a maximum density used per hectare, which means that if we built it to the max, we could accommodate this many people," Coun. Murtaza Jamaly said. "It’s going to significantly depend on what market demand is at the time and what the developer chooses to do."
“Part of the value of being a rural community is these big lots. The challenge today is with the cost of lots and construction. We need medium-density residential or high-density residential, those six-plexes, those row houses, those apartment buildings, because that's where the demand exists in the community. Unfortunately, a brand-new employee that arrives to town, even the ones that are the highest earners in our community, aren't in a position to build a $650,000 home on a big, single-family lot.
Westlock was down to a zero per cent vacancy rate in 2024 according to a provincial government survey. This survey doesn’t cover all rental units but it is the main information source for rural Alberta communities.
Public will have the opportunity to let their thoughts known on the ASP at an upcoming public hearing on Sept. 8 at the council chambers.
