TAMRMS#: B06
8.1
REQUEST FOR DECISION
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Bylaw 17/2026 to add Public Utility Lot (PUL) Designation to 300PUL Villeneuve Road (Plan 252 1535, Block 3, Lot 1) (1st, 2nd & 3rd Readings)
Presented by: Shohreh Zarezadeh, Planner, Planning & Development Department
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RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
recommendation
1. That Bylaw 17/2026, being a bylaw to designate a Public Utility Lot, be read a first time.
2. That Bylaw 17/2026 be read a second time.
3. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 17/2026.
4. That Bylaw 17/2026 be read a third time.
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SUMMARY
This report outlines the process and considerations regarding the proposed Public Utility Lot (PUL) designation for 300PUL Villeneuve Road (Plan 252 1535, Block 3, Lot 1). Approval would correct an inadvertent omission of the PUL designation that occurred during registration of a stormwater management facility parcel in Erin Ridge North in 2025. There is no proposed physical change of use to the site.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
Public Utility Lot (PUL) is a designation granted under the Municipal Government Act (MGA), for municipal land that is typically used for municipal infrastructure. A bylaw is required to add this designation when the designation was not added at the time a subdivision was registered at Alberta Land Titles.
Designation of Municipal Land
The Municipal Government Act (MGA) section 665(1) states:
A council may by bylaw require that a parcel of land or a part of a parcel of land that it owns or that it is in the process of acquiring be designated as municipal reserve, school reserve, municipal and school reserve, environmental reserve, conservation reserve or public utility lot.
The MGA section 665(2) states:
Subject to subsection (3), on receipt of a copy of a bylaw under this section and the applicable fees, the Registrar must do all things necessary to give effect to the order, including cancelling the existing certificate of title and issuing a new certificate of title for each newly created parcel of land with the designation of
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(b) public utility lot, which must be identified by a number suffixed by the letters “PUL”,
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Interpretation
The MGA section (1)(1)(y) states:
“public utility” means a system or works used to provide one or more of the following for public consumption, benefit, convenience or use:
(i) water or steam;
(ii) sewage disposal;
(iii) public transportation operated by or on behalf of the municipality;
(iv) irrigation;
(v) drainage;
(vi) fuel;
(vii) electric power;
(viii) heat;
(ix) waste management;
(x) residential and commercial street lighting,
and includes the thing that is provided for public consumption, benefit, convenience or use;
Definitions
The MGA section 616(w) states:
“public utility lot” means land required to be given under Division 8 for public utilities;
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In 2025, during endorsement of the subdivision of North Ridge Phase 2, Stage 5, the applicant requested the consolidation of two Public Utility Lot (PUL) remnants into the existing stormwater management facility to create a single contiguous Public Utility Lot with an area of 1.75 hectare± (4.32 acres±). The lands listed below were originally registered as three separate Public Utility Lots, each with its own municipal and legal description. During consolidation into a single lot through the registration of Plan 252 1535, the PUL designation was inadvertently omitted.
Pursuant to section 665(1) of the MGA, Administration recommends that Council enact a bylaw to reinstate the PUL designation for 300PUL Villeneuve Road (Plan 252 1535, Block 3, Lot 1); thereby, enabling the designation to be registered on title through Land Titles. Please refer to attached Figure 3, Public Utility Lots Consolidation Map (Plan 252 1535).
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Municipal Address |
Legal Description |
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Former PUL Lot #1 |
302PUL Villeneuve Road |
Plan 222 2054, Block 3, Lot 30PUL |
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Former PUL Lot #2 |
108PUL Nerine Crescent |
Plan 252 1532, Block 3, Lot 84PUL |
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Former PUL as a Stormwater Management Facility |
300PUL Villeneuve Road |
Plan 222 0168, Block 3, Lot 1PUL |
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Current Consolidated Lot (with no PUL designation on title) |
300PUL Villeneuve Road |
Plan 252 1535, Block 3, Lot 1 |
Flourish Municipal Development Plan (MDP) Bylaw 20/2020
This proposal complies with Flourish Municipal Development Plan, which shows these lands as Neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods consist predominantly of low-rise forms of housing, along with parks, schools, and other community facilities.
Area Structure Plan (ASP)
The land is located within the North Ridge Area Structure Plan (ASP), Phase 2. This ASP (Bylaw 4/2015) was first approved February 2, 2015, and last amended on September 3, 2024. North Ridge Phase 1 is fully built out. The North Ridge Phase 2 neighbourhood is currently under development.
North Ridge does not have an associated Neighbourhood Plan, as it was originally approved as a single-tier ASP.
Land Use Bylaw (LUB) 18/2024
The parcel is districted the Public Park (PRK) Land Use District as per Land Use Bylaw 18/2024. The existing stormwater management facility serves an infrastructure function and is considered a Public Utility, forming part of the overall park site rather than a separate land use.
Public utilities are not identified as a specific land use in the Land Use Bylaw and do not require development permit approval. This is reflected in LUB Table 2‑1, which includes stormwater infrastructure and the construction and maintenance of public utilities. As the existing stormwater management facility does not include a structure, it functions as a Public Utility and is appropriately enabled within the PRK District. The applicable Land Use District is in keeping with other City parcels which include stormwater facilities.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
The proposed designation was circulated to internal departments on February 19, 2026.
There were no comments or concerns raised with this application.
Public Hearing Not Required
The proposed bylaw adds a PUL designation to the existing stormwater management facility parcel under MGA s.665(1). Section 665 authorizes Council to designate land as a PUL by bylaw and directs the Registrar to register the designation on title. As the section does not require a Public Hearing, one was not held for this administrative correction.
IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
The recommended approval of this proposal will enable correction of a registration error by adding the PUL designation back to the stormwater management facility parcel under MGA s.665. Subsequently, Land Titles can update the plan and title by adding the “PUL” suffix and ensure the legal record accurately reflects its public utility function. The PUL designation will identify the land as a public utility, which will be important for management and operation of the stormwater management facility.
Financial:
None at this time.
Compliance & Legal:
First reading for Bylaw 17/2026, must be completed in order to get the bylaw “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 first, second, and third readings of Bylaw 17/2026 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 Bylaw 17/2026 is not granted on June 16, 2026, after first and second reading, third reading of Bylaw 17/2026 will occur at the next regular Council meeting on July 14, 2026.
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
Strategic Priority One, Economic Prosperity: Support plans and agreements that foster development in St. Albert, including mature neighbourhoods, and build affordability in all new development. This strategy includes an update to the Land Use Bylaw and completion of the Infill Strategy.
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 Bylaw 17/2026. This would mean the Public Utility Lot would not be designated. This would not change the existing developed stormwater management facility on the parcel.
Financial:
None at this time.
Compliance & Legal:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
None at this time.
Risks
There are several risks if the stormwater management facility parcel remains without a PUL designation on title; they include:
• Uninformed third party activity - Without a PUL designation on title, companies and contractors working in the area may not recognize the parcel as containing a stormwater management facility, increasing the risk of uninformed design decisions, conflicts, or inadvertent impacts to municipal infrastructure.
• Registered records remain out of alignment - The parcel will continue to appear at Land Titles without the “PUL” suffix, leaving the registered plan/title inconsistent with the parcel’s municipal utility function.
• Plan‑checking and development processing are less clear - Applicants and internal reviewers rely on the registered plan/title as the authoritative record; absence of the PUL suffix can introduce ambiguity in circulation, endorsement, and plan examination.
• Future statutory steps become more complex - Any later need to adjust boundaries or consider disposition will be more procedurally complex if the parcel is not properly designated on title, as several MGA processes (e.g., removal or disposal of reserve designations under s674-675) presuppose an existing PUL designation.
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Report Date: June 16, 2026
Author(s): Shohreh Zarezadeh, Planner
Department: Planning & Development Department
Department Director: Kristina Peter
Managing Director: Adryan Slaght
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher