The MD of Bonnyville Council has passed a series of proposed bylaw amendments, which will allow major and minor industrial development to take place on agricultural land.
Bylaw 543, which consists of over 20 changes (additions and removals) to Bylaw 1207, the MD's general land use and development regulations bylaw, was passed unanimously at the Oct. 22 meeting.
Several members of the public took time to speak out against the proposed bylaw at a public hearing on Sept. 24.
Many against the bylaw were afraid it would open the door for more industrial development to take place on agricultural land throughout the MD.
“Having rural industry use on an agricultural quarter causes many concerns for people; added traffic to the roads, added potential for larger trucks and trailers, condition of the roadways, added noise from equipment, potential impacts and reduced property values,” said Cold Lake realtor Bernard Lefebvre, at the Sept. 24 meeting.
John Foy, the MD's Director of Planning and Development, said, “a lot of it was a misinterpretation with what the bylaw actually means.
“You always had the ability for discretionary use of industrial development on agricultural lands, now it is defined as a major or a minor industrial use on the land.”
Amendments to the bylaw now allow MD residents to apply for development permits for a “major rural industrial use” on agricultural parcels greater than 20 acres and for “a minor rural industrial use” on agricultural land greater than three acres.
The bylaw also defines both “major” and “minor” uses.
“Minor rural industrial use” includes things like small-scale industrial shops, minor equipment storage, RV storage and the parking and maintenance of equipment, among others things.
“Major rural industrial use” includes larger scale projects such as work camps, storage facilities, manufacturing or assembling of goods, and “distribution or wholesale of goods which require a relatively large lot,” among others things.
One amendment of the bylaw the MD residents helped reinstate was the removal of a section which requires adjacent landowners to be informed of a possible development and given an opportunity to comment.
After hearing the residents' concerns the amendment will be changed.
“We will put in a requirement that notification of discretionary uses be sent out to adjacent landowners with information surrounding the usage,” said Foy.
