M.D. of Taber passes Lakeview Area Structure Plan

By Heather Cameron
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

During a recent M.D. of Taber Council meeting, a public hearing was held for the Lakeview Area Structure Plan Bylaw No. 2008.

Bonnie Brunner, Senior Planner with ORRSC, began the meeting by providing information about the Area Structure Plan.

“The public hearing today is to deal with Bylaw Number 2008 for the Lake View Drive area structure plan,” said Brunner. “The applicant who owns the property is proposing a three-lot subdivision located at Lot 1, Block 2, Plan 0714379 in NW 21-9-16-W4. The property contains 14 acres and is currently zoned group country residential the area structure plan um is required as previously this property was rezoned to group country residential under Bylaw 1761 back in April of 2007 and a three-lot subdivision was approved at that time without the benefit of an area structure plan one of the requirements of that subdivision however and consistent with the group country residential requirements was that an Area Structure Plan would need to be adopted if there was any subsequent subdivision of any of those three properties.”

The proposal, Brunner explained, is to create three similarly sized lots for the purposes of future Country Residential Development and the lot sizes are 4.56 acres, 4.5 acres, and 4.85 Acres. The lots, Brunner stated, will all have direct access off of an existing road (Lakeview Drive), which was created with the Darcy Miller subdivision lands, which are immediately south of the property. The subject site, according to the Request for Decision associated with Bylaw Number 2008, is located approximately 3.5 km south of the Town of Taber, and an existing road right-of-way (Lakeview Drive) is located adjacent to the subject site along its southern boundary and Sugar Factory Road (Range Road 164) is located on the subject site’s western boundary. The subject site, the RFD states, is zoned as Grouped Country Residential (GCR), as well as the lands that abut the subject site to the east, south and north.

Brunner also highlighted there were no architectural controls being proposed and all of the standards for Grouped Country Residential are proposed to default to the requirements of the Land Use Bylaw. The servicing proposal, Brunner stated, involves systems on each of the properties with a septic field and then irrigation water is to be provided to each of those parcels.

“The septic analysis was completed in accordance with the requirements of the Land use bylaw and the model information guidelines, which indicated that the sites are suitable for a standard septic field system which is a consideration in the creation of multiple lots,” said Brunner. 

Brunner stated that it was also determined that there wouldn’t be any significant cumulative impact or any other issues or concerns. In addition to that, Brunner stated, all of the review agencies were notified including Alberta Health Services, ATCO, FORTIS, St Mary River Irrigation District, and the school divisions including Horizon and Holy Spirit. Only two comments were received, Brunner stated: one from SMRID and one from ATCO. Brunner stated that ATCO had no issues while SMRID reiterated the requirements for obtaining irrigation water, which would be dealt with at the time of a subdivision application through the finalization requirements.

The property, Brunner stated, is just west of Horsefly Reservoir and the preliminary 

stormwater plan was completed, all of the parcels will have direct access off of Lake View Drive. Brunner indicated that there may need to be some improvements to Lake View Drive, which have been addressed in the Area Structure Plan and would be dealt with at the time of subdivision.

Landowners within half of mile of the subject property were notified by mail of the public hearing, Brunner stated, and there were no written comments or inquiries from surrounding landowners. Notice of the public hearing was also advertised in the Taber Times accordingly, Brunner stated.

Brunner stated that one of the considerations, however, is as part of that 2007 subdivision, there was a restrictive covenant placed on the property for keeping of horses that said that a maximum of four horses could be allowed on each of the three parcels.

“What the applicant is proposing is that he has defined how that will be regulated without amendment to the restrictive covenants, so the furthest lot to the west would have one horse the one in the middle has two horses and then the one on the east has one horse,” said Brunner. “We did have conversation with the landowner and another landowner who also has their application for first reading on here about the possibility of amending that restrictive covenant and so that is ongoing. We have indicated in the Area Structure Plan is should that restrictive covenant be amended or if the M.D. of Taber adopts a subsequent Keeping of Animals bylaw, which is a potential consideration under the new land use bylaw, that then that would default to whatever those standards and criteria are provided the restrictive covenant is addressed.”

According to the Request for Decision associated with Lakeview ASP Bylaw No. 2008, first reading for Lakeview ASP Bylaw No. 2008 was moved on by Councillor Turcato at the the September 10, 2024, regular council meeting and passed by Council. 

Council ultimately determined that they had enough information to make a decision, and elected to close the public hearing. Councillor Harris then made the motion that second reading be given to the proposed Lakeview ASP Bylaw No. 2008 effective upon third reading of the bylaw and the motion was carried. Councillor Turcato made the motion that third reading be given to the proposed Lakeview ASP Bylaw No. 2008 effective upon third reading of the bylaw and the motion was carried.