Background

The City is developing amendments to the Land Use Bylaw to include lands annexed from the County of Grande Prairie in 2016 known as the Rural Service Area.

The proposed changes will incorporate the Rural Service Area properties into the City's Land Use Bylaw. To accomplish this, the amendments will include the addition of some new uses, standards and districts to the bylaw so that these properties maintain the same development opportunities.

Purpose

Currently, development permit applications in the Rural Service Area are considered based on the County bylaw as it was at the time that the annexation took effect (2016). This requires the City to have two separate bylaws, which may cause confusion for applicants who would expect to refer to the City's bylaw for a property that is in the City.

Bylaws need to be updated from time to time to adapt to new businesses, changes to provincial regulations, and to revise standards or correct mistakes. The City is not able to amend the 2016 County bylaw. These changes will bring the properties under the City's Land Use Bylaw, which can be updated to support development.

Past Events

Public Hearings:

• Public hearings were held on Monday, December 13, 2021 and Monday, April 4, 2022 where Council adopted amendments to the Land Use Bylaw (C-1260-98 and C-1260-151).
• The changes to the Land Use Bylaw included new districts, uses and an overlay to support rural development and to enable landowners to continue their current land uses under the City bylaw. 
• A public hearing was held on April 17, 2023 where Council amended the Land Use Bylaw to rezone properties in the NE quadrant of the RSA (C-1260-154).
• A public hearing was held on December 11, 2023 where Council amended the Land Use Bylaw Amendment to rezone properties on the westside of the City (C-1260-177).

2021 Public Information Sessions:

• Two information sessions were held on Tuesday, May 25, 2021. The session included a presentation about the proposed bylaw changes and the phasing of the project. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
• A summary of the draft Land Use Bylaw changes including the overlay district, uses and districts is available in the Documents Library on the right of this page.

2022 Public Information Sessions:

• Landowners and interested members of the public were invited to attend information sessions about how the City is incorporating properties in the Rural Service Area into the City Land Use Bylaw. The sessions took place through June 7-9, 2022.

Project Phasing

The project has been divided into two phases: updates to the land use bylaw and rezoning. There will be public engagement during each phase to inform landowners about the proposed changes and to gather feedback.

Phase 1 - Updates to the Land Use Bylaw (December, 2020 - December, 2022)

• The first phase of the project is bylaw drafting. City administration will draft the bylaws for this process, which will include the new districts, uses and standards, as well as the property rezonings. A summary of the draft changes is posted on this page in the Document Library (on the right side of the page).

Phase 2 - Rezoning (March, 2023 - December, 2023)

• During this phase, the properties will be rezoned to a district in the City LUB that matches their current zoning. These rezonings will not be a triggering event for City tax rates.
• Landowners will be sent a letter notifying them of the proposed new zoning, as well as how to review the bylaws and provide feedback. This phase will include a public information session where residents can discuss the project with City staff and provide feedback.
• After the information activities, a Public Hearing will be held where City Council will consider adopting the proposed rezonings.

Location Map