Land Use Bylaw Text Amendments

About The Project

The Urban Development Institute is requesting two unrelated text amendments to the Land Use Bylaw. They pertain to: 1) removing the lot width distribution requirements for single-detached dwellings; and 2) reducing the corner lot side-setbacks for townhouses in certain contexts. To elaborate:

1. Lot Width Distribution (Part 8.23 and Schedule H of the Land Use Bylaw):
   
   Part 8.23 and Schedule H of the Land Use Bylaw currently require a specific variety of lot widths, aiming to facilitate a more diverse array of single-detached dwellings. For example, as detailed further in the Key Documents section, in new neighbourhoods since 2018, “small lots” (under 10m wide) must be 0% to 25% of all new lots. “Medium lots” (10m to 12.5m wide) must be 35% to 80% of all new lots. “Large lots” (wider than 12.5m) must be 10% to 40% of all new lots.
   
   The Urban Development Institute has requested removing this requirement in its entirety, citing that doing so will remove contradictory challenges associated with satisfying minimum density targets mandated by both the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board and the City of St. Albert. The implication of this change would be that neighbourhoods could have single-detached lot sizes that meet the minimum lot width requirement of the district, and satisfy minimum density targets for that neighbourhood as a whole.
   
   
2. Corner Lot Side-Setbacks for Street-Oriented Townhouses (Part 8.29 of the Land Use Bylaw):
   
   Part 8.29(1)(b)(iii)(C) of the Land Use Bylaw currently requires a 4 meter side-setback for street-oriented townhouses on corner-lots in the R3, R3A and R4 Districts – regardless of building height. As detailed further in the Key Documents section, the proposed text amendments amount to reducing this side-setback to just 3 meters if the building is under a certain height – for consistency with existing townhouse setbacks in other similar districts (i.e. RX and RXL).

LEFT: Example of a lot width measurement for a single-detached dwelling.
RIGHT: Example of a side-setback measurement for a street-oriented townhouse on a corner lot.

Public Hearing

A Land Use Bylaw Text Amendment is a Council process completed by the City’s Planning branch, which requires a bylaw with three readings and a public hearing.

Any proposed change to the Land Use Bylaw must be presented to and decided upon by City Council. The public hearing is now scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on March 21, 2022 (DATE CONFIRMED ON FEB. 22, 2022), and will also be advertised in the Citylights feature in the St. Albert Gazette newspaper.

Feedback

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