The sky southwest of Medicine Hat is lit by bright lights from greenhouses in this photo taken on Jan. 23, 2017 under a low cloud cover and hazy conditions. City and county planners who are proposing a defined "greenhouse district" in the area south of the Medicine Hat Regional Airport, say new provisions in a Tri-Area development plan give them the ability to require blackout curtains on facilities.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
More light could be shed next month on how city, town and county governments could work together on sharing services, cutting costs and, potentially, sharing revenue on joint projects.
This week City of Medicine Hat planners presented a Tri-Area development plan to the local planning commission, including a key new addition of an industrial zone north of Redcliff.
That is generally described as a joint planning exercise with Redcliff and Cypress County, and local commission members asked if the new agreement spelled out how the effort would proceed or how it could benefit Medicine Hat.
“It’s a very popular question,” said Kent Snyder, manager of planning services for the city. “But his answer is ‘not yet.'”
For the last year, planners in the three municipalities have been updating development rules. At the same time, a committee of respective elected representatives have worked on a collaboration framework.
Both final plans are required by the provincial government and are due by the end of March. The goal now is to advance final versions for passage by all three regional councils that month.
The potential rural-industrial area comprises 13 sections of land in Cypress County, generally north of Redcliff and Township Road 140, is outlined in the Tri-Area plan. Officials say the endeavour would be of joint benefit to all parties, but there is no final framework announced.
Last year, Alberta Municipal Affairs brought in new requirements for all Alberta municipalities with shared boundaries to be complete by April 2020. More recently, new Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu wrote to municipal administrators stated his office expects the basic agreements in that time frame, but exceptions could be made.
He also outlined that the agreements should focus on cost reductions for local government, not revenue sharing agreements.
The collaboration framework could touch on several areas of particular local interest, including planning and operations of recreation services. Cypress County is now undertaking a recreation master plan, and councillors in Medicine Hat have said they would like to see a new update of the city’s master plan, which was last formally updated in 2011.
The Tri-Area plan lays down rules for development in areas of common interests, and is essentially an update of one in place since 2010.
Airport area
Among the new changes are facets of how land around the Medicine Hat Regional Airport. Two years ago the city received special permission from Ottawa to govern land use around the federally regulated facility, but the overlay and flight paths extend into Cypress County. The county is now working toward earning the same powers.
Also new is a plan to create a “Greenhouse District” east of Highway 3, and south of the airport.
The sections are already home to two large facilities, and elected officials have said it makes sense to set aside land to congregate like-use facilities.
Planners, too, said the new rules give planners further authority to require blackout curtains that cut down on light pollution that affects pilots on approaches to the airport.
Another substantial difference is how hamlet growth could be approached.
Specific to Veinerville, it would mean another 10 to 15 lots could be made available considering the utility infrastructure currently available.
The plan will be reintroduced to the municipal planning commission, and be subject to a public hearing before a final vote at Medicine Hat city council.
