Martensville City Council met on Tuesday, February 18th for a Regular Council meeting to discuss several topics. The meeting began with public hearings regarding bylaw amendments to allow for a dwelling group on land currently designated as commercial. The bylaw amendments were for a parcel of land located at the corner of Main Street and 16th Avenue North, where the owner received an offer to purchase 2.72 acres of land with the intention of constructing two apartment buildings on site. The land is currently designated as commercial within the Official Community Plan, the Lake Vista Concept Plan map and the Zoning Bylaw. To be modified to residential, all three areas will require amendments.
A discussion item regarding a concept plan for the Trilogy Ranch development on the west side of the Highway 12 overpass to accommodate future growth for the community was also on the agenda. The Trilogy Ranch development consists of approximately 670 acres of future residential and commercial development, as well as parks and recreation and a school site. It is expected to consist of a population between 10,715 to 13,706, and is the largest proposed development in Martensville’s history.
Representatives from North Prairie Developments Ltd./Canwest Commercial & Land Corporation attended the meeting to present detailed information to Council and get feedback.
Due to the size of the development, it is recommended that portions are approved on a pre-determined portion of the plan area, which could be based on a 10-15 year growth, or a preset or predetermined population, while accepting the rest of the plan “in-principle”.
Because the development is located on the opposite side of the overpass, there will be limited ability to rely on existing infrastructure to service the area, creating additional expenses. Additionally, with a larger population and more vehicle traffic, upgrades/additions will be required to the existing overpass, as well as the installation of a second overpass. It was recommended that Council approve a portion of the concept plan that will not trigger overpass upgrades to provide additional time to determine the best way to address the infrastructure requirements of the project.
Another topic mentioned in the presentation included municipal reserve dedication. The developer is required to include a specific amount of green space based on the size of the development, and currently, the plan has a 6-acre deficit. The developer would prefer to address the 6 acres at a later point in the development, either through the addition of park, or a cash in lieu payment that would equal the value of the land that would have been dedicated. According to Mayor Muench, previous councils had inquired about acquiring additional land for a community park, similar to Kinsmen Park. Parks of this size are not the responsibility of the developer, and if council is looking to move forward with a park of this nature, more discussions with the developer would be required.
The density and diversity of housing was also discussed, with density guidelines based on approved amounts outlined in the P4G planning document, which are then reflected in Martensville’s Official Community Plan. The two main urban criteria include meeting minimum average gross residential density of seven dwellings per acre and mixed-use node minimum densities of 30.4 residents and jobs combined per gross developable acre. The need for a multitude of housing options within the community to ensure all residents are supported is apparent, which would include the addition of dense housing options/apartment style living options.
Other items such as an emergency response plan, fiscal impact assessment, development standards review, and proposed resident centre were also included in the provided documents.
Going forward, this discussion can help Council determine steps needed to finalize the concept plan, which would then come back to Council as a bylaw amendment to append it to the Official Community Plan. The bylaw would then be sent to the province for formal approval.
More details on the Trilogy Ranch development, as well as other topics discussed at the February 18th meeting can be found by viewing the meeting agenda online at Martensville.ca.
