Kevin Hanson – Division 1
Quick Bits
I attended the MDP phase-2 community engagement session in Springbank. Over 20 residents attended the open house, which is not too bad considering we were competing with game 5 of the Stanley Cup final. I learned from residents that Dylan Holloway has been playing for the Oiler’s, and he grew up in the Bragg Creek area. The full 3-lanes on the ring road heading west past 69th street have finally been aligned properly, so traffic is no longer pinching down to 2 lanes just before the Highway 8 off-ramp. The Province have also repainted the lines through the Highway 8 construction area which helps with safety, especially at night. In general, all of the lines on the newly opened ring road section have not over-wintered well and could do with a re-do.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities – Resilient Communities
This year Calgary hosted the annual FCM conference. It is the national version of our provincial Municipalities Association’s conferences. I was asked to participate as a panelist on a breakout session which had the topic “Capital as catalyst: Community adaption to climate risks”. I relayed the unique nature of Bragg Creek from a flood and fire risk perspective, and steps taken to-date to build back from the 2013 flood. I highlighted how the Gateway development team has adopted a community-resiliency strategy to access additional funding, and recounted how they have engaged with RVC with the idea that together we can build back better. I explained how Rocky View is learning more about the benefits of taking an enhanced community-resilience approach to future development, and how this exploration effort is integrating into our latest Area Structure Plan update process underway for Bragg Creek.
Short-Term Vacation Rentals – Land Use Bylaw Update
RVC continues to work through targeted updates to our Land Use Bylaw (LUB), an important legislative piece that we rely on to control both the permitted and discretionary uses in our land zoning. It sits as a side-car in concert with our statutory plans like the MDP and ASP’s.
This was a check-in with Council on work to date. Admin did a good job incorporating our learnings from resident experiences and bylaw enforcement the past 2 years, and included Development Appeal Board hearings evidence and decisions, some of which I was SDAB chair for.
Regulatory Considerations recommended by Administration included:
- Limiting Vacation Rentals to parcels where the applicant can demonstrate that the property is their primary residence;
- Limiting number of guests, bedrooms, or dwelling type;
- Requiring proof of consent from a Home Owners’ Association or Condominium. Many communities have their own bylaws with restrictions on business uses and vacation rentals.
- Setting requirements for the owner to clearly outline expectations for guest behaviour and to manage guest activity. E.g. on-site check-ins by owners or management companies, installation of security cameras, and the assignment of a local contact to be available in the event of complaints;
- Requiring fire safety measures and inspections are in place. E.g. all bedrooms have satisfactory means of emergency egress and the County’s Fire Services undertake a Fire Smart inspection to ensure all National Fire Code requirements are met.
- Only providing temporary development permits for Vacation Rentals and providing clear direction for modification or cancellation of development permits where on-going non-compliance with a development permit is substantiated. I.e. weed out bad actors.
I suggested that property delineation was important to consider to avoid trespass by guests, and that a yearly usage ceiling concept should be explored, below which the STR is treated as other home based businesses, and above which the operation should be treated as a commercial enterprise – and attract the associated business property tax.
Spring Intake Recreation Grants Approved
Council just approved the spring tranche of grant applications. All of the Division 1 grants were approved. Of note, as the Bragg Creek Community Association continues to recover and grow post-COVID, they will be working with RVC administration for transitioning to a 3-year funding agreement with the County. This work will be starting shortly, affords the association some certainty for long-term budgeting, and will put them on-par with other large facilities in the county with wide-catchment areas.
Contact: KRHanson@RockyView.ca or call 403.463.1166.
