The Town of Cochrane has updated its land-use bylaw for the first time since 2004, adding changes to districting, permitting and parking, among other changes.
Council voted Feb. 28 to adopt the modernized land-use bylaw, which governs what can occur on a parcel of land within the municipality.
Mayor Jeff Genung spoke to the bylaw's adoption, saying the new document will allow the Town to manage growth.
"The land-use bylaw impacts all Cochranites," he said. "This updated version is a user-friendly document that simplifies the development process, responds to modern trends in development and allows us to plan and manage future growth."
The new bylaw comes on the heels of nearly four years of research and consultation as part of the bylaw review and rewrite project. The project was intended to develop a land-use bylaw that reflected the changing needs of the Town and its growing population.
Key highlights of the new bylaw, as identified by the Town, include reducing the number of districts into five types: residential, commercial, industrial, urban service and direct control. Additionally, the land-use bylaw allows for broader land-use definitions that will provide flexibility when considering a project.
Also included were changes to the permitting process. The Town said the new bylaw will streamline the application process and advertise development permits online. Similarly, the bylaw considers modern development trends, potentially opening up land use to temporary commercial services, breweries, wineries and community gardens.
Parking has also undergone changes and parking stall minimums have been removed for non-residential properties. Instead, appropriate parking will be considered in the context of the application.
The bylaw, which is available on the Town’s website, was developed with several goals in mind. These included reducing red tape for residents and improving readability. The project also sought to modernize regulations to align with current development trends while also underscoring the importance of the town's historic downtown area.
