by Colin Smith
Morinville Town Council plans to undertake a review of the Coeur de Morinville Area Structure Plan and Highway 642 Functional Plan.
The decision to review the plan in the first quarter of 2019 was made following a motion by Councillor Stephen Dafoe.
Dafoe said when the plan was adopted in 2013, the intention was to revisit it every five years, and that should be done now to “see if the vision in those documents still makes sense.
“They have concerns in the area and I think it is time to take that out and look at it,” he said.
At the meeting, Mayor Barry Turner expressed concern that a budgetary project or dedicated resources might be needed to ensure such a review is comprehensive.
“I don’t think we should be conducting that review without some additional resources or at least confirming with Administration,” Turner said.
However, when the vote on the motion for the review was taken, he was the only one opposed.
The Coueur de Morinville Area Structure Plan is intended to provide policies and guidelines and give direction to future land use and redevelopment decision making processes in the town’s mature central area.
It provides a framework for evaluating the suitability of redevelopment, infill and increased residential density in the core, supporting economic development and maximizing use of existing infrastructure capacity.
Associated with the Area Structure Plan is the Highway 642 Functional Planning Study that in May 2013 provided recommendations for the development of Highway 642/100 Avenue.
Among the plan policies that may come under particular scrutiny during the review is a requirement that all new businesses on 100 Street have rear access via the lane rather than from the street.
Council is presently debating the budget, which includes a project to redo a laneway off of 100 Street at a cost of $125,000.
The review is to take place in the first quarter of 2019.
