The city should let developers do their job, instead of doing it for them, some councillors argued on Monday.
Administration had presented council with a motion to develop the principles of an area structure plan and engineering designs for the employment lands. This would tell developers what kind of uses the city wants for the 618-acre (250 hectare) future-industrial site, it said.
The majority of council voted in favour of the motion. But some argued that the city is micro managing and should give the development community more options of what to do with the land.
“By developing the principles on which the area structure plan will be developed we are excluding someone else from coming forward with an idea,” said Coun. Cam MacKay.
The employment lands are an area west of St. Albert intended for employment-driven, industrial land uses one day. They are located on the west side of St. Albert, north of Meadowview Drive and Big Lake.
The city wants the site to generate non-residential tax revenue, provide jobs and house a business park with a mix of industries. While most of the land is split between different landowners, two parcels, Riverlot No. 7 and No. 8, are owned by the city.
Administration told councillors that it had been asking for feedback from landowners, stakeholders and the public on three potential concepts for development of the lands since February.
The three proposals suggested the development of a light industrial and office park, a business and commercial area with some entertainment uses, such as a movie theatre, or a research park, which could include high-tech businesses or a university campus.
The majority of people surveyed favoured the light industrial and office park, which would offset the city’s residential taxes the most. This proposal is what administration now wants to base the principles for an area structure plan on.
When questioned by councillors about this move, Gilles Prefontaine, chief community development officer, said other municipalities follow this same process because it gives a project visibility and establishes a vision. He also said that council had wanted to move the agenda forward.
But some councillors said it was too early to spend the money on an area structure plan, especially after administration said that servicing of the site is at least three years away.
MacKay said the city couldn’t predict how the market for development will change in the coming years. It should maintain some flexibility with the land use planning “to allow the people with the money to come forward and tell us what they want.”
Coun. Bob Russell also suggested the city keep its options open and let the developers know “of the lands that are out there … and what concepts are available.”
“They have imagination, they have been doing this for years,” he said. “Let them come in. They are the ones who can spend the money on … the area structure plan.”
Coun. Sheena Hughes meanwhile said there are other ways to let developers know what the city wants. She said the city should instead focus on servicing the lands.
“If you want to show developers that we are serious about developing the land we need to get servicing over there,” she said. “What we are doing here is just a filler until we actually have servicing.”
Other councillors spoke more favourably of administration’s proposal. Coun. Wes Brodhead said council is “getting spooked” by the word area structure plan, when it’s only meant to guide development. He agreed with Hughes, though, that the big issue is getting the lands serviced.
Coun. Tim Osborne shared some of the other councillors’ concerns because area structure plans tend to go through a lot of amendments. But he also said council has to be careful “that temptation doesn’t lead us to accept any development that comes along.”
“I do think it’s important to let the community know what our expectations are,” he said.
Coun. Cathy Heron said council wanted to give the public a say in what kind of development it wants for the lands and administration has made that possible.
She also stressed that by developing the principles of an area structure plan, “at least we are indicating to the market and those interested, developers, landowners, potential landowners, that we are continuing to put the employment lands as a priority in the city.”
Administration will provide council with the engineering options and principles for an area structure plan in the late summer or fall of 2016.
