A committee of city council supports making an exception to land planning rules in order to accommodate a home-run birthing centre in St. Albert.
The St. Albert Community Midwives were congratulating each other Monday after city council’s community growth and infrastructure committee decided to favour their request, to open a birthing centre in a residential area.
Typically, businesses are not a permitted use within residential districts.
Committee is recommending city council redistrict a parcel of land the midwives are considering locating to from residential to direct control (DC). This essentially gives council power to exercise particular control over use within specific areas.
Coun. Wes Brodhead said during debate he was resistant to the DC move, because when faced with a similar decision in the past council said ‘no’ because they did not want to open up residential areas to any business.
“That’s not the nature of residential R1 land use,” he said. “However, a birthing centre is something that’s so uniquely different that I think there are options that a discretionary use ... singles it out enough so it’s not opening the door to every business,” Brodhead said.
Legal services pointed out direct control does not open the door to any business in residential areas.
Some of the midwives were present at committee and spoke to councillors about their request. Co-founder Jennifer Thomson noted all birthing centres in Alberta are operated out of houses, because research indicates it provides better outcomes.
“We want to be able to provide that at-home environment for birthing,” she said. “It’s like birthing at home; it’s relaxing and it has better outcomes for births.”
Currently, the midwives are operating out of an office within a commercial district, which has become unaffordable. In addition, the midwives do not deliver any babies at that location. In September, they presented to council, asking for help in accommodating a birthing centre.
Coun. Jacquie Hansen said the realities about the comings and goings of having a birthing centre within a residential area should be made “really clear.”
“Because it’s going to be the residents from my point of view that are being impacted – maybe not at all, maybe they think a lot, and we’re going to have to understand what their concerns are,” she said.
Thomson said births aside, there would only ever be a maximum of three vehicles and people inside the centre at one time. As well, she said there would be between one and three births a month.
She added that to minimize disruption, the midwives are seeking out a location on a corner lot with a yard for additional parking.
Most of the conversation around the table revolved around not whether the birthing centre should be accommodated, but how. Council members debated two options, the first of which was to create a direct control district for the lot.
The other option, which committee decided against, was to create a new class in St. Albert’s land use bylaw for birthing centres and making it a discretionary use. Going that route would result in council losing any oversight over the process, as the city’s subdivision and development appeal board would make an ultimate decision.
If council agrees with the committee’s recommendation – which they are set to debate at Monday’s meeting – the city will consult with neighbours and hold a public hearing before a direct control zone can be created.
However, legal services emphasized choosing the DC route means residents cannot appeal the ultimate decision.
