The County of Minburn held open houses at the Lavoy Hall on April 16 and the Mannville Elks Hall on April 17 to raise public awareness and invite feedback from local landowners, residents, and business owners on proposed updates to its Land Use Bylaw (LUB).
All municipalities in Alberta are required to have a LUB, which regulates the use and development of land and buildings within the County. Each municipality’s LUB is unique and any changes to the LUB must be approved by County Council following a Public Hearing process where members of the public are able to speak.
Municipalities must regularly review their bylaws in order to keep them up to date and possibly add in revisions for Council’s consideration. Davin Gegolick, Director of Planning and Community Services for the County of Minburn, explained, “The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and LUB work hand-in-hand to set the development direction for the County. With the recent adoption of the new MDP, a review of the LUB will ensure that both documents are in alignment. Given the volume of bylaws within the municipality, only a few can be reviewed each year.”
The MDP establishes the long-term land use policies for growth and development within the County; helps guide Council decision-making on community and infrastructure investments in the future; sets policy guidelines for future land use, development, transportation systems, municipal services, and facilities within the County; and contains general policies about the subdivision and development of land.
Meanwhile, the LUB organizes the County into land use districts (e.g., Agricultural, Acreage Residential, Rural Commercial, etc.) and identifies the permitted and discretionary land uses; sets the County’s development permit and redistricting processes; establishes standards for lot sizes, setbacks, building heights, etc.; and outlines requirements for parking, signage, and landscaping.
The revised bylaw enhances agricultural and food security by allowing beekeeping and urban hens, allows tiny homes on properties, eliminates red tape permit approvals for animals on residential acreages, provides options for sustainable living through solar and geothermal energy, and reduces permits required for certain land uses.
The draft Land Use Bylaw #1348-24 document and information on the LUB review can be viewed at https://minburncounty.ab.ca/p/lub-review
The first reading of the revised LUB was done on March 14, 2024. Following the open houses, the County of Minburn will incorporate public and agency comments into the draft LUB and provide a summary of the comments. A public hearing on Land Use Bylaw #1348-24 will be held on June 17, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. Information on public hearings can be found at https://minburncounty.ab.ca/p/public-hearings