Area-Wide Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning
This section illustrates opportunities for consultation during the pre-development phase of subdivisions and major developments. Typically, these opportunities arise when the following plans are being developed and/or amended: Neighbourhood Structure Plans (NSPs), Area Structure Plans (ASPs), Servicing Concept Design Briefs and Area Redevelopment Plans (ARPs). It is a crucial time, as decisions such as how to lay out a subdivision and where the schools may be have major impact in shaping entire segments of the city.
The work required will not necessarily follow the same timeline for all players, but is outlined below in three stages: research, consultation and assessment.
|
|
r Developer |
Community |
Planning and Development |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Goal |
Secure approval of a “high level” plan such as a Neighbourhood Structure Plan, Area Structure Plan or Servicing Concept Brief. |
Ensure any plans for adjacent lands are compatible with the existing community. |
Verify that the plan meets all City departments’ requirements and Council policies. |
|
Key Question |
What will this future community look like? |
||
| BACKGROUND RESEARCH | |||
|
Steps |
Obtain landowner support. A majority of the landowners in the undeveloped area must seek Council’s approval to prepare an ASP/NSP (unless already designated suburban in the MDP). Clarify all technical requirements, timelines and costs for the approval of high level plans e.g., location of services such as water, sewer, roadways, schools and parks, fire protection and other future land uses. Hire specialists who can meet the technical requirements. Review existing city-wide plans that may be relevant. Review plans for adjacent communities. Initiate contact with those communities to inform and consult. | Obtain a copy of the Municipal Development Plan and the Terms of Reference for the proposed ASP/NSP. Verify which plans apply to your area. Understand the relationship between the new plan and existing plans. Attend Council hearing if you wish to speak to the initial Terms of Reference. Note: Approval is not needed if the suburban area is already designated for suburban use in the Council-approved Municipal Development Plan (MDP). | Provide contact information, if requested, for parties such as EFCL, City staff, etc. Consult with the developer on request regarding technical requirements, policies and established planning practices. Perhaps facilitate contact between applicant and other City departments. Answer citizen questions and provide information on request. Perhaps prepare a Servicing Concept Design Brief or other plans and policies affecting the site in question. Note: Before a developer submits a formal application, the department treats any proposal as confidential. If a developer has already raised the proposal with the community, the department may be able to discuss it. |
| Tools: | Understanding Neighbourhood Plans, p. 52 | ||
|
CONSULTATION |
|||
| Steps | Arrange to present the plans at public meetings, prior to formal application hearing. Attend and speak at public consultation meetings. Prepare final submission and present before Council at the public hearing. | Submit questions or concerns to both the developer and Planning and Development. Work with City staff and the developer to hold one or more public meetings. Circulate feedback and incorporate into further action. Ask Planning and Development for a copy of their impact assessment. If you wish to publicly support or oppose the proposed development, arrange to be on the public hearing speakers’ list and attend the hearing. | If appropriate based on the complexity or impact of the proposal, suggest the applicant host a meeting or attend a community league meeting to make a presentation. Ensure parties are aware of the planning exercise through a mailed notice of the plan. Solicit input through public meetings. Ensure that adjacent property owners and community leagues are notified of the public hearing. Act as a resource for the community and developer upon request. |
| EVALUATION AND REFINEMENT | |||
|
Steps |
Review feedback and revise plan accordingly. | Review technical documents such as the City Transportation Plan, regional land use maps and any reports generated for the proposed plan. Assessing impact will likely be the community’s key contribution to this process, although the plans are highly technical and difficult for lay people to critique. Turn to City staff, as well as hired or volunteer experts who understand engineering and land use planning. Ask about impact on school enrolment, park space, safety and CPTED (see p. 96), walkability throughout the area and traffic connections. | Review the plan for conformity to Council’s planning policies and bylaws, servicing standards and costs, etc. Facilitate discussion and negotiation to ensure that the interests of the City, community and developer are met. Act as a resource if desired by the league. Prepare recommendations to Council after considering all the issues. Answer questions at the public hearing. |
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
—Mark Twain, Author
TOOL: UNDERSTANDING NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANS
Plans for new neighbourhoods
Some of the plans that apply to new, undeveloped neighbourhoods are outlined below and in the appendices, p. 101. For an exhaustive list of plans and the process for their development and approval, see The Planning and Development Handbook for the City of Edmonton.
AREA STRUCTURE PLANS
An Area Structure Plan (ASP) sets out the general planning framework for large, undeveloped suburban areas. ASPs identify locations for residential, commercial, institutional and recreational developments and indicate how municipal services such as sewer and water systems, roadways, schools, parks and fire protection will be provided. These plans estimate the number of people expected in the new area and stipulate how development will be staged. Through proposed ASPs, developers must show Council they understand how the plan will impact the existing area, neighbouring communities and other parts of Edmonton. The ASP approval process generally takes four to six months or longer.
NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA STRUCTURE PLANS
A Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP) is a “mini” ASP that applies to one or two neighbourhoods. The process for creating and adopting such plans is the same as for Area Structure Plans.
NEIGHBOURHOOD STRUCTURE PLANS
A Neighbourhood Structure Plan (NSP) is a sub-plan within an ASP. Developers prepare NSPs for areas that will support approximately 4,000 to 7,000 people. NSPs are more detailed than ASPs and show proposed types, sizes and locations of various land uses, transportation networks (excluding local roads) and neighbourhood facilities as well as planned stages of development.14 City planners review NSPs to ensure they conform to the ASP, provide required services and meet the forecasted housing needs for the area.
Plans for existing neighbourhoods
Other plans regulate existing communities. Below are those most commonly used.
AREA REDEVELOPMENT PLANS
An Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) is a medium- to long-range community planning study undertaken at City Council direction to help guide the development of an individual community. ARPs can address land use (zoning), transportation issues, recreation, open space and some social issues. Extensive public participation is an essential component of the ARP process.
Although development officers are required to refer to ARPs to verify the community’s goals for the area in question (particularly in the case of a discretionary use), the relative weight and consideration given to ARPs in Edmonton has changed in recent years. Development officers refer to the Edmonton Zoning Bylaw and Mature Neighbourhood Overlay more often than to ARPs, particularly those considered out-of-date.
COMMUNITY PLANS
Community Plans are non-statutory rather than Council-approved bylaws, although Council does accept these plans by resolution. Compliance is voluntary and is not enforced by planning officials. A Community Plan can be initiated by any community that wants to identify goals for development and recommend practices that further the vision of the community.
For more information on plans, see Glossary, p. 101.
Resources
The Planning and Development Handbook for the City of Edmonton, City of Edmonton, 2001. Tel: (780) 496-6160; www.edmonton.ca