Mayor Linnsie Clark watches a video presentation during her address at the annual State of the City luncheon held Tuesday at the Medicine Hat Lodge.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Medicine Hat would be a more vibrant, more sustainable city with a population of 110,000, said Mayor Linnsie Clark on Tuesday.
And, she adds, the Hat can get there by 2043 – a mere 20 years to add 47,000 residents – if City Hall can act on “purposeful growth” principles, a new economic policy, social strategy and environmental plan, all to be developed this year.
“It’s ambitious,” she told reporters after her address at the annual State of the City luncheon.
“This sets out the long-term vision, and now our actions and our budget align with that. There is a lot of work to define, ‘How does one grow?'”
Her speech laid out council’s “strategic priority plan” developed during the first year of the current council term, and laid out a busy year ahead to develop plans and launch a number of community consultations.
The population target headlined the speech however, which Clark said is attainable, and a boost would lead to efficiencies.
“Unlike most mid-sized cities, Medicine Hat has existing core infrastructure that will support growth,” said Clark. “We will grow into our facilities and we anticipate that the transit system, airport, parks and trail system, and even Medicine Hat College will be more viable and able to meet the needs of our residents with a population of 110,000.”
Gaining and retaining residents could be accomplished by creating a socially wealthy community that “people want to live in” said Clark, who says focused work on economic development and urban planning principle is key.
Clark’s plans include work to “expand the tax base, but carefully considering the long-term infrastructure liabilities that come with that growth,” she said.
A large portion of the speech focused on a new collaboration the city will have with “Strong Towns,” a U.S.-based non-profit group which stresses communication and forward thinking planning decisions that support redevelopment.
That group will hold an initial open house for residents here Feb. 7, it was announced Tuesday at the jointly staged Kiwanis Club and Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce event.
“Not all growth is good growth,” Clark told the audience in the sold-out ballroom at the Medicine Hat Lodge. “In fact, some growth can be detrimental to our community.”
The city will also work to create a regional economic plan with towns and counties to target specific industries, continue work of a hydrogen and carbon capture plan, complete an environmental roadmap, determine an active transportation network strategy, as well as form partnerships to tackle social challenges, such as homelessness, drug use and mental health for residents.
“There’s no doubt it’s a jam-packed schedule for the coming year,” said chamber president Trevor Anhel in his closing remarks.
Some developers in the crowd told the News they are encouraged by positive goals, but were skeptical about growth projections.
To reach 110,000 citizens, an annualized growth rate of nearly three per cent would be needed for two decades, about three times local rate over the last 10 years.
The Hat’s population is about 63,000 residents within city limits.
Population growth has been a high priority for local politicians over that time, but it has remained elusive. The city’s most recent update to the municipal development plan calls for rationalization of services and adding specific zones where higher density development in housing and commercial operations would be beneficial.
The underlying premise is that Medicine Hat can’t afford to both extend new infrastructure to new outlaying communities and replace or upgrade aging roads, pipes and sewer systems in the central parts of the city.
Clark said urban renewal – redeveloping older neighbourhoods to accommodate more housing and commercial development – is a concept Hatters will get behind,
“It’s almost always the case that if you have existing infrastructure, increasing (population) density there is better financially and contributes to the viability of the community.”
Clark also announced the city was successful in applying to be part of Alberta’s rural renewal strategy, which aims to see skilled immigrants locate outside major centres.
Grant applications are also outstanding to study a regional approach to economic development.
