TAMRMS#: B06
7.1
REQUEST FOR DECISION
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Bylaw 9/2026 - Land Use Bylaw Text Amendments to add Recreation (Indoor) as a discretionary use to Transitional (TRN) District (1st, 2nd & 3rd Readings)
Bylaw 10/2026 - Land Use Bylaw Text Amendments to add Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) as a discretionary use to Transitional (TRN) District (1st, 2nd & 3rd Readings)
Presented by: Suzanne Ruegg, Planner, Planning & Development Department
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RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
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1. That the Public Hearing on Bylaw 9/2026 and Bylaw 10/2026 be closed.
2. That Bylaw 9/2026, being amendment 16 to the Land Use Bylaw 18/2024, be read a first time.
3. That Bylaw 9/2026 be read a second time.
4. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 9/2026.
5. That Bylaw 9/2026 be read a third time.
6. That Bylaw 10/2026, being amendment 17 to the Land Use Bylaw 18/2024, be read a first time.
7. That Bylaw 10/2026 be read a second time.
8. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 10/2026.
9. That Bylaw 10/2026 be read a third time.
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SUMMARY
This report discusses proposed amendments to Land Use Bylaw (LUB) 18/2024, to add two discretionary uses to the Transitional (TRN) District for parcels with an area less than 4.0 hectares: Recreation (Indoor), and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment).
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
Municipal Government Act; Division 12, Section 692(1) states:
Before giving second reading to…
(e) a proposed land use bylaw, or
(f) a proposed bylaw amending a statutory plan or land use bylaw referred to in clauses (a) to (e),
a council must hold a public hearing with respect to the proposed bylaw in accordance with section 216.4 after giving notice of it in accordance with section 606.
The addition of the proposed uses, Recreation (Indoor), and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment), have been provided as two separately numbered bylaws. This provides Council flexibility to debate the two uses separately. If Council decides to approve one use and not the other, the application will not be delayed by the need to re-write bylaws and re-schedule the public hearing.
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) does not specifically comment on the Transitional District.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
An application for the Land Use Bylaw amendment was submitted by Annette Supruniuk, on behalf of Terry Supruniuk, who owns land in the Transitional District. The purpose of the application is to add two discretionary uses to parcels with an area of less than 4.0 hectares in the Transitional District.
As stated in section 5.25 of the LUB, “The purpose of the TRN District is to regulate land areas which are undeveloped or developed to low intensity, and to accommodate traditional agricultural operations and the supportive services they use, which do not compromise the ability for future urban intensity development to occur in an orderly and efficient manner.”
The Transitional District was created and added to St. Albert’s LUB at the time of the 2022 annexation, in order to carry forward the regulations in place on agricultural lands when the lands were formerly within Sturgeon County, until such time as the lands are redistricted or redeveloped by the landowners. This district contains a set of permitted uses, as well as discretionary uses based on the size of the land parcel. The lists of uses and regulations for the Transitional District can be found in Attachment 3, Transitional District Redline.
The discretionary uses being requested for addition to the Transitional District are Recreation (Indoor) as Bylaw 9/2026, and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) as Bylaw 10/2026. These uses are defined as follows:
“Recreation (Indoor) - means a development used for sports or recreation within an enclosed building. Typical development includes a health and fitness club, swimming pool, bowling alley, amusement arcade, athletic field, rink, or court, not including conference and banquet facility or establishment (gaming).”
“Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) - means a development where the primary use is the storage of unoccupied recreation vehicles or recreation equipment.”
The Transitional District (TRN) currently allows Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) as a discretionary use on parcels that are 4.0 hectares and larger. Recreation (Indoor) is not currently included in the Transitional District as either a permitted or discretionary use, on any parcel size.
As the LUB does not currently permit these land use activities, the owner is operating both a Recreation (Indoor) use and a Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) business without the required permits. The applicant is now seeking to bring the property into compliance with St. Albert’s LUB. The applicant previously approached Sturgeon County regarding the non-conforming development, but no permits were issued prior to the annexation. At this time, there is no district in the LUB that includes both the Recreation (Indoor) and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) uses.
Planning Administration recommends approving the proposed amendments to the Transitional District, as discretionary uses for parcels less than 4.0 hectares. The proposed uses are compatible with the Transitional District.
While the application was submitted by a single landowner, it is preferable to add a discretionary use, which would be available to all lands with the same District, and can be evaluated and conditioned on a case-by-case basis at time of development permit.
Through the processing of the application, Administration also considered:
o a site-specific amendment to the TRN District to permit the two uses;
o redistricting the property from TRN District to Direct Control District with a development permit regulating the uses.
These two considerations are not recommended options due to policy context and implementation challenges.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The application was circulated to internal departments and external agencies. As the application affects the entirety of the Transitional District, rather than a specific site, there were no mailouts to residents. A consideration for the indoor recreation use raised by Engineering’s Transportation branch was the amount of traffic on rural roads that may be created by such a use. The amount of traffic caused would be dependent on the size and type of recreation activity. When reviewing a discretionary use, the Development Authority can require additional supporting information, including requesting a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA), which would be reviewed by the City’s transportation engineer to determine the impact on the roads and the network.
The public hearing is scheduled for April 21, 2026. A public hearing notice has been posted on the City’s website, and full page Citylights advertisements appeared on both April 2, 2026, and April 9, 2026. A press release was also issued for this public hearing. No residential notification letters or site signage were required because the amendment is not to a specific property.
IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
If the amendments proposed are approved, the discretionary uses of Recreation (Indoor) and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) will be available to all properties within the Transitional District with an area less than 4.0 hectares.
Any landowner wanting to develop either of these discretionary uses would require a development permit, a building permit, and a business license from the City. Discretionary uses require notification to adjacent landowners through the development permit process. In addition, the Development Authority can place conditions on a development permit. Examples of development permit conditions could include paving and screening for Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment), or requiring a traffic study for a Recreation (Indoor) use to determine the level of impact. Discretionary uses may also be approved on a temporary basis, with development permits that expire after a defined amount of time.
Structures undergoing a change of use, such as to enable Recreation (Indoor), require a building code inspection to ensure the site and structures meet Safety Code requirements and are safe for public use.
A development permit for a discretionary use can be refused by the Development Authority if it is deemed that the proposed development is not suitable for its intended location on the basis of applicable land use planning policies or regulations.
Any decision made by the Development Authority (including development conditions) may be appealed to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB). The SDAB has the authority to remove or modify conditions, or to overturn the Development Authority’s decision.
Financial:
None at this time.
Compliance & Legal:
First reading for Bylaw 9/2026 and Bylaw 10/2026 must be completed in order to get the bylaws “on the table” for Council’s consideration. Providing first reading of a bylaw does not indicate agreement with the bylaw, but rather is the process by which the applicant’s bylaws may be put forward in accordance with procedural fairness principles.
The public hearing and first, second, and third readings of Bylaws 9/2026 and 10/2026 are scheduled for the same day. The Municipal Government Act provides that a proposed bylaw must not have more than two readings at a council meeting unless the council members present unanimously agree to consider third reading at the same meeting.
If unanimous consent for third reading of Bylaws 9/2026 and 10/2026 is not granted on April 21, 2026, after first and second reading, third reading of Bylaws 9/2026 and 10/2026 will occur at the next regular Council meeting on May 5, 2026. During that time between April 21, 2026, and May 5, 2026, Council members will be unable to accept further written or verbal submissions germane to this matter, and will not be able to ask for new, substantive information on the subject matter prior to third reading (MGA, s. 187; Procedure Bylaw, Schedule E, s. 19).
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
None at this time.
Risks
None at this time.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Initiative aligned with Strategic Plan:
Not Applicable
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
Current Planning Application Processing:
Processing and coordination of the approval of statutory plans and amendments, subdivisions and condominium applications.
IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
If Council does not wish to support the recommendation, the following alternatives could be considered:
ALTERNATIVE 1: Defeat second or third reading of either Bylaw 9/2026 or Bylaw 10/2026 after closure of the public hearing. An implication of defeating either of the Bylaws would be that the applicant cannot re-apply until at least six months after Council’s decision.
Alternative 1 could be used if Council does not support adding either of the two discretionary uses of Recreation (Indoor) and Storage Facility (Recreation Vehicle and Equipment) for parcels with an area less than 4.0 hectares to the Transitional District.
Financial:
None at this time.
Compliance & Legal:
Decision of Council cannot be appealed.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
None at this time.
Risks
None at this time.
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Report Date: April 21, 2026
Author(s): Suzanne Ruegg, Planner
Department: Planning & Development
Department Director: Kristina Peter
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher
Attachments not part of the report
1. Bylaw 9/2026 Recreation (indoor)
2. Bylaw 10/2026 Storage facility (recreation vehicle and equipment)
3. Transitional District Redline