by Calli Stromner
Second time at bat for housing development
A high-density residential development in east Morinville is back on the table after Council postponed a decision on the proposal back in June. The revised plan lowers the number of duplex units from 42 to 38 and creates a larger buffer of green space between the existing neighbourhood and the new units. Morinville’s Director of Planning and Development Greg Hofmann indicated that the previous application and proposal had been withdrawn after the Public Hearing took place in June.
If approved, Bylaw 18/2014 would allow property developer Transamerica Group to build the 38-unit residential duplex development between Notre Dame Estates and East Boundary Road. The units would be built at a maximum of 10 metres tall and two-and-a-half storeys with a minimum size of 83.5 metres (900 sq. ft.).
More Amendments to Land Use Bylaw
Just four and a half months after passing several text amendments and clarifications to Morinville’s Land Use Bylaw, Council approved first reading of Bylaw 19/2014, which could change the document again.
Two of the three proposed changes to the LUB revolve around ‘show homes’. Currently a developer cannot begin construction of a ‘show home’ unless the subdivision has been registered at Land Titles, which could take weeks or months, according to documentation repaired by administration. As well, ‘show homes’ are considered strictly dwelling units, which means developers are limited in what and how they can market the developments.
“We feel as a planning department that we have an ongoing responsibility to amend the Land Use Bylaw,” said Hofmann. “I’d like to think we’ll have a perfect Land Use Bylaw one day.”
The third proposed LUB change may decrease the number of minimum parking spaces needed to satisfy development permit regulations for specific uses. Hofmann used a large warehouse as an example of where the development takes a lot of space, but may require fewer parking spaces.
Council approves census report
Even though the town’s population numbers were publicly released in June, Council received the 2014 Municipal Census report as information during Tuesday’s meeting. As previously reported Morinville’s population increased by 9.7% over 2011 with a total of 9,402 residents living in 3,385 dwellings.
Other facts from the 2014 Municipal Census include:
• Residents aged 25-54 account for 35.4% of the Town’s population.
• The majority of employed census respondents travel to Edmonton for work (1,125), compared with only 603 respondents who work in Morinville.
• Owner-occupied residences account for the majority of responding households (2,095).
• Sixty-three per cent of the dwellings in Morinville are single detached houses.
The Census report can be downloaded from the Town’s website.
