AMRMS#: B06
13.4
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Redistricting Mixed Commercial District Lands to Downtown District
Notice given by: Councillor Watkins
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to (a) bring forward a Motion that on May 31, 2021Councillor Watkins gave notice of his intention to make; and (b) provide background and an administrative recommendation with respect to the Motion.
PROPOSED MOTION:
recommendation
That Administration re-district all Mixed Commercial (MC) District parcels to Downtown (DT) District, and remove the MC District from the Land Use Bylaw, and make any necessary cleanups.
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ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Strategic Priority #2: Economic Development: Enhance business/commercial growth.
St. Albert will work towards an innovative, investment-positive environment that will support and encourage the development of new, existing, and emerging sectors.
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Section 9.15 of the Land Use Bylaw 9/2005 is the Mixed Commercial (MC) Land Use District. The purpose of the District is as follows:
Purpose
The purpose of the Mixed Commercial District is to:
(a) maintain generally continuous storefront retail development on the ground floor frontage adjoining the sidewalk, and to restrict those services which are not dependent on walk-in trade to locations away from ground floor frontage; and
(b) create a street front-oriented area of commercial and mixed commercial and high density residential uses.
There are currently five parcels in the downtown districted as MC (Attachment 1, 2). Two of those parcels are oriented towards St. Albert Trail, and grade-separated from the Downtown, and may be more appropriately districted as Corridor Commercial (CC), as they have no direct access to the downtown. One is a city-owned parcel located on the eastern end of St. Thomas Street. Two are located on the west side of St. Anne Street south of St. Anne Promenade, and consist of the Grandin Medical Clinic property, and a surface parking lot on the corner of Sir Winston Churchill Ave and St. Anne St.
A list of Permitted and Discretionary uses in the MC and DT Districts is provided in Attachment 3.
The purposes of the MC District vs the DT District as set out in the Land Use Bylaw seem to be somewhat in alignment. For a more cohesive treatment of the downtown, Administration is supportive of re-districting the MC parcels to DT, while reviewing the permitted and discretionary uses to ensure that no legal non-conforming parcels are created.
If this Motion passes, Administration will bring forward a proposed Land Use Amending Bylaw to effect this redistricting.
Attachment 1: Fig 23(a) - Downtown District Character Areas
Attachment 2: Downtown Districting
Attachment 3: Permitted and Discretionary Uses
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Report Date: June 21, 2021
Author: Adryan Slaght
Department: Planning & Development
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble