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Town launches dispute resolution process over proposed MDP
Town council has triggered the dispute resolution process under the inter-municipal development plan (IMDP) with Mountain View County in an attempt to deal with Sundre’s concerns with the county’s proposed new municipal development plan (MDP).
Following an in-camera session at a special council meeting held on June 11, Sundre councillors passed the following resolution: “The Town sends the attached dispute commencement letter, over the signature of the Mayor, to the County to commence and initiate the dispute resolution process under P. 6 (Dispute Resolution) of the IMDP to resolve the disagreements of the Town with the proposed MDP of the County.”
Sundre council also said that it has a “lack of agreement” with the county on the proposed new municipal development plan, and that the “MDP is inconsistent with the policies of the IMDP and/or is detrimental to the town’s planning interests as a municipality.”
On April 27, Sundre Mayor Annette Clews sent a letter to county Reeve Bruce Beattie requesting an opportunity to discuss six specific concerns Sundre has with the draft MDP. Those concerns are:
• Reconciliation of growth centre and IDP boundaries.
• Amendments to the draft MDP section 7.0 ‘Growth Areas’.
• A better understanding of what the country’s intentions are in regard to the provision of municipal services and facilities either generally or specifically.
• The creation of a servicing agreement with the Town of Sundre.
• Potential use of development credits and their implications for growth centre densities.
• Status of the existing inter-municipal development plan and memorandum of agreement.
Sundre council had outlined those same concerns in earlier correspondence, on December 11 and again on January 18.
Following last week’s special council meeting, Sundre town council officially initiated the dispute resolution process through a June 14 letter to Mountain View County.
In a second letter dated June 15, also to Mountain View County, Mayor Clews said, in part: “The Town of Sundre is of the opinion that the proposed MDP is inconsistent with the policies of the IMDP and is detrimental to the town’s planning interests.”
In the same letter, the town requests that county council “avoid or decline further readings of the MDP until the inconsistencies within the IMDP are resolved and the MDP is revised to protect the future growth of the town in a manner consistent with previous inter-municipal commitments.”
As well, in the same letter, the town requested an opportunity to make an oral submission at the upcoming June 27 hearing at the county office being held as part of the MDP planning and approval process.
The new Mountain View MDP, which received first reading on May 16, includes major land use policy changes in areas such as size of agricultural lots, limited subdivision on good forage lands, so-called growth centres, subdivision ownership, agricultural preservation areas, rural community centres and farmstead separations.
The dispute resolution section of the IMDP states, in part: “Once either municipality has received written notice of a dispute, the dispute resolution process must be started within 15 calendar days of the date the written notice was received, unless both CAOs agree otherwise.”
The section also states that “In the event the dispute resolution process is initiated the municipality having authority over the matter shall not give any further approval in any way until the dispute has been resolved or the mediation process has been concluded.”
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