LANGDON – Rocky View County presented the first draft of the County Plan at an open house at the Langdon Fieldhouse on Tuesday, March 19. The open house was just one of the many open houses that were conducted throughout the county beginning the week of March 18. The draft is the result of significant public input as well as documents such as the Agriculture Master Plan and the Parks and Open Space Master Plan.
“We are very excited to finally present a draft of the plan after eight months of extensive public consultation,” says Reeve Rolly Ashdown, Rocky View County. “We wish to thank everyone who took part in the surveys and workshops”. “The whole idea of the County Plan is that it comes from the residents of the County.”
At each of the open houses the residents could pick up a copy of the draft plan, listen to an overview presentation, and review the key components of the various sections of the draft County Plan.
The plan is the highest-level planning document in the County and identifies the direction of growth in the county over the next 10 years. The plan will guide Council and staff to set priorities and make decisions on transportation, the environment, housing, agriculture and many other development questions.
Initially about 380 people participated and provided feedback to the County Plan via public workshops that were held before Christmas and an online survey. The current plan was adopted in 1998 and was based on earlier plans. The new plan sets a path for the future and lays out a framework for balancing natural landscapes, rural character, agriculture and finances. There are 1551 farms and ranches in the County, which comprise approximately 92 percent of the total land base. The total population of Rocky view is estimated at 36,462 and hamlet populations are at 5,105.
The principles of the plan include Growth and Fiscal Sustainability, the Environment, Agriculture, Rural Communities, Rural Service and Partnerships. Richard Barss, County Plan Project Manager, says they are in the “Home Stretch” part of the plan. This is Phase 3 and Phase 4, the Plan Completion and Adoption, will take place in May and June with a Public Hearing on June 11th, 2013. Council is expected to vote on it in June.
But wait, you can still have your say by filling out an on-line comment form or review and comment on the County Plan at http://fluidsurveys.com/s/RockyviewCounty-SummaryDraftPlan/
For those who miss the open houses, the draft document will also be available on the website at: www.rockyview.ca/countyplan.
