Chestermere City Council is moving forward with the anticipated entertainment district by giving first reading to an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw (LUB).
The interim changes to the bylaw will allow city administration to begin growing the entertainment district.
The entertainment district area includes multi-use residential, future development sites, commercial retail sites, and a residential care facility that was changed to a direct council district by the previous council.
To ensure construction would align with the Municipal Development Plan (MDP), the district was transitioned to direct control and would require council to approve applications for any new development.
The site impacted by the bylaw amendments includes office space, developments that are already in progress, a childcare facility, and a stormwater retention pond.
“The first change is looking at what authority has been delegated to staff to make decisions, right now change of use permits are only allowed to be used on certain sites within the district,” senior planner of community growth and infrastructure Jordan Furness said. “There are only discretionary uses for permitted use.”
In the meeting, Furness presented a list of permitted uses for the entertainment district including a arts and culture centre, convenience stores, drinking or gaming establishments, entertainment establishments, restaurants, retail, and more.
“It gives applicants more certainty when considering uses for a site, and it would really activate the area downtown throughout the day and into the evenings,” Furness said.
“This is only for the entertainment district, we’re looking at having shops where residents can walk around and mostly have access to entertainment, coffee shops, restaurants, live music, and retail shops,” Mayor Jeff Colvin said.
Discretionary uses for development include medical clinics, animal health care services, financial institutions, government service buildings, hotels, household repair services, liquor stores, offices, parking lots, places of worship, parks, residential care facilities, or apartment buildings.
“We have identified a number of uses where we would like to see them downtown, but not necessarily on the main floors because they don’t provide interest or activity of people coming into the community,” Furness said. “If someone wants to make a case for putting it on the main floor that option hasn’t been removed, it’s sitting in the discretionary uses where there is more scrutiny to make sure it’s an appropriate site for the proposed use.”
City administration believes the changes to the bylaw align with councils’ vision for the MDP while making the process to approve developments quicker.
“We haven’t identified any notable disadvantages. This is the first step of many more to enhance the area’s ability to become an entertainment district to be done throughout 2022,” Furness said.
A motion was later carried to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 1 that will reflect councils’ discussion on what type of development should be permitted and what should be put on the discretionary uses list.
Under discretionary uses, council is considering removing animal health care services, childcare facilities, commercial schools or colleges, financial institutions, government services, health care services, medical clinics, offices, public utilities, residential care facilities, and household repair services.
