Lloydminster council once again had the opportunity to review the land use bylaw following a public hearing.
The last public hearing, held April 28, featured members of the public packing city hall to discuss a variety of topics, including community support centres and allowed signage in the community.
Read more: Lloydminster continues land use bylaw review
Administration took the public’s feedback and began making changes to the draft land use bylaw. More clarity was added to the bylaw along with wording changes, grammatical revisions and new subsections and definitions.
Council’s discussion largely revolved around the placement and separation of community support centres.
“I look at this and I look at the map, and I fear we’re getting back into residential areas where they can put a community service major close or into a neighbourhood,” said Coun. David Lopez.
“I’m not OK with that as a councillor or as a resident. I fear we’re putting a service somewhere there’s families and we haven’t given a buffer or a breakpoint as to keeping neighbourhoods safe.
“I know I don’t want it in my backyard, and I literally don’t want it in my backyard even if it’s three metres apart.”
A contested point was the distance places of worship were given from community support centres.
“If places of worship get a 200-metre buffer shouldn’t residents get the same,” said Lopez. “If we’re giving it to places of worship, a resident is a tax-paying person that should have the same rights allotted to them.”
He expressed his concerns around the proposed legislation and wanting to be prepared.
“I’m not against support centres, I think if we’re building bigger and more we have to make sure we know what we’re doing,” said Lopez. “Again, once it’s there, it’s too late … and that’s my fear.”
Administration did identify a gap in the land use bylaw that they worked to address in the revisions.
“The only thing that could not be done as an accessory use were the uses surrounding cannabis,” said Natasha Pidkowa, manager of planning with the City of Lloydminster. “So, that opened up anything to be classified as an accessory use.
“Administration felt that was a gap and we have since changed the regulations to say unless community support services is listed as a permitted use or discretionary use in the district, it cannot be classified as an accessory use.”
The public’s understanding of how systems work within city hall was also a point of chatter as councillors worried the public didn’t understand the process of getting buildings approved or appealed.
“We are revamping the entire planning webpage,” said Pidkowa. “There is a public-facing planning document intended to be released alongside the land use bylaw to help everybody understand every planning process from subdivision to discretionary use to permitted use.”
Coun. Michael Diachuk pointed out the issue would not be solved with a piece of legislation.
“I don’t want people to think that because we can legislate it and put it a certain distance away or put it even outside the community that this problem will be solved that we’re experiencing with the unhoused,” he said. “It’s a much, much bigger problem than just people hanging out in front of a building,”
Ultimately, safety remained at the forefront of why these topics were important to residents.
“I understand the issues. Coun. Lopez has talked about the safety components, and I’ve heard that of any of the issues that have arisen, it’s been that,” said Diachuk. “The problem is, we can’t solve all of that with the land use bylaw, it’s a much more complex issue. All we’re doing with this land use bylaw is trying to mitigate it as much as we can.”
Diachuk asked what tools they have if a building does get approved and what recourse they have to change the zoning of a building.
“To me, this is the importance of the notice of decision and laying out all the conditions thereof approval,” said Pidkowa. “That notice of decision stays as long as the use is valid. If they’re ever in contravention of those conditions, we have ability to issue a notice of contravention a stop order and pursue further actions.
“As long as they’re abiding within the rules we’ve set out for them. It wouldn’t be within the development authority’s realm to withdraw their use approval.
Coun. Jason Whiting wanted to see the same buffer be given to both residential and places of worship. He also wanted to allow more conversation about a solution to the issue.
“I fear we’re spending a lot of time worrying about what ifs when we’re not moving towards allowing a conversation about a solution,” said Whiting.
Coun. Justin Vance chimed in explaining it isn’t just about what’s in the building that affects the area.
“It is also how the facility is ran and what kind of neighbours they are,” he said. “How a facility is ran and how it presents itself also makes a difference.”
Signs also became a topic of conversation as council didn’t want the wording to be too restrictive on what people can have.
The original intention was to deter people from putting a sign in the back of a truck or on top of a trailer as a form of signage, something that was discussed at a previous council meeting.
Mayor Gerald Aalbers pointed out the document is a living document, meaning it will likely go through changes.
Administration went back and prepared new council motions with the amendments in mind.
Council accepted the land use bylaw as information and directed administration to incorporate the below changes.
1. Remove religious assemblies from the 200m radial separation distance from community support centre major and warming shelter that require a development permit
2. Add a 50m radial separation distance from community support centre major and warming shelter that require a development permit to religious assemblies and all residential districts and neighbourhood commercial district
3. Section 16.4.7 be amended to read “No sign shall be attached to or placed on a vehicle, trailer, or other similar implement with the intent of acting as a portable sign for temporary or permanent purposes. Vehicle decals and wraps are permitted”
The bylaw will return to council on June 9 where it will see further changes.
Read more: Public heard in land use bylaw draft
