by Morinville News Staff
with files from Tristan Turner
Council will host three public hearings when meetings resume Aug. 29. The Public Hearings are a necessary step before proceeding with second and third reading on a number of items.
MORINVILLE MDP AMENDMENT
Morinville may be seeing a major revision to its 2012 Municipal Development Plan following July’s First Reading of Bylaw 10/2017.
The review is intended to update the bylaw ahead of a regional review of MDPs in the region. A come and go open house was held on the changes Aug. 9.
The Town says the purpose of Bylaw 9/2017 is to “amend the MDP to conform to the proposed Edmonton Metropolitan Region Growth Plan and Modernized Municipal Government Act, align to
current demographic realities and trends, incorporate subsequently updated master plans and studies, and accommodate improvements and refinements to the goals, perspectives, and policies of the MDP.”
The public is invited to attend the Public Hearing for the Municipal Development Plan (MDP)
Amendment and provide comments. Written comments can be sent to the Town’s Legislative Officer before 4:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The comments will be reviewed as part of the hearing
process.
COAL CREEK AREA STRUCTURE PLAN
The Coal Creek property bylaw would allow the development of a commercial and business industrial development, focusing on “light industrial activities” according to the ASP.
The 90-Acre potential development is just South of the CN Rail Line and North of the current Morinville Industrial Park. The site is largely used for agriculture right now but does have some small wetlands (swamp/marsh land) protected under legislation.
These protections will require Administration to develop a process for either replacing or providing some compensation for the provincially protected wetlands area. The total area of wetlands estimated to be in the area is 8 ha, according to a Biophysical Assessment done of the site completed by EnviroMak Inc.
The public is invited to attend Public Hearing for the proposed Coal Creek Area Structure
Plan to provide comments directly to Council. Written comments to the Legislative Officer will be accepted before 4:30 pm on Aug. 28 and will be reviewed as part of the hearing process.
PROPOSED PERMANENT ROAD CLOSURE
The final public hearing is for a Road Closure Bylaw to close public travel and transfer what the town says is an undeveloped and unnecessary roadway widening along
Grandin Drive.
The Town says Planning & Economic Development supports the proposed bylaw, which they say will allow for the consolidation of the land with the abutting reserve lands.
The road closure is not a literal closing of Grandin Drive, but removing from plans a small part of reserve land designed for road widening in the future.
The lands in question are where the new Sturgeon School Division middle school will be built.
