When it comes to Bow Valley Trail (BVT) Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) changes in the Land Use Bylaw (LUB), some people may only see a jumble of alphabet soup, but for Canmore council there are significant changes coming to the municipality’s major statutory planning document.
The ARP for the Bow Valley Trail area was approved in January 2013 after a year-long extensive consultation with businesses, the development industry and the community. Development planner Patrick Sorfleet said the next step is to take uses contemplated in the ARP and make them regulatory by putting them in the LUB.
One of the most significant changes in use being proposed is to allow the temporary use of visitor accommodation as employee housing. In particular, it proposes staff accommodation on the same site of the business and the use of hotels for temporary staff housing for other businesses.
“Those are all things not possible under the present Land Use Bylaw,” Sorfleet said.
Temporary staff housing would be managed through Canmore Community Housing Corporation along with any Perpetually Affordable Housing.
Council passed first reading of the bylaw and scheduled a public hearing for June 24 at 6 p.m. in council chambers.
But working in the bylaw changes that state BVT is not to compete with the downtown core caused concern for Councillor Sean Krausert who put forward a successful motion to change it.
“I would like to make a change that I think better represents the intent, while ensuring a vibrant downtown remains the cultural and commercial centre of the community,” Krausert said. “This district is intended to complement the downtown area to facilitate the expansion of the health and wellness sector of our economy and provide services to visitors and residents of Canmore.”
Sorfleet said not all provisions of the ARP are being included in the LUB, as they are better included in other documents like the integrated transportation master plan and architectural and urban design guidelines.
However, he said there are provisions in the proposed changes that will increase floor area ratios – in other words density – and changes to setbacks.
“One of the overwhelming concepts to come out of the BVT ARP is (participants) wanted Bow Valley Trail to be more like a street and less like a highway,” Sorfleet said. “One way we can do that is by bringing things closer to the street.”
There are also changes to improve the grade of roadway and bring the trail up from the ditch. Sorfleet said how grade is calculated for building height is done to help deal with storm drainage and unforeseen discharge from other areas onto that road right of way.
