What is a Plan?

There are several kinds of plans prepared in Alberta.  Some carry legal weight and are called Statutory Plans.  Others are intended to provide an outline or organize ideas, but are not recognized in law.  The four kinds of statutory plans are Municipal Development Plans, Intermunicipal Development Plans, Area Structure Plans, and Area Redevelopment Plans.  Common other plans are Outline Plans, Lake Management Plans, and Transportation or Parks Master Plans.

Municipal Development Plans describe a vision for a village, town, city, or county as a whole.  They make broad statements about the goals of the community, the culture of the County, and the future we see for ourselves.  Policies are set out to manage how, when, and where change will be accommodated if it occurs in the County.

 

Intermunicipal Development Plans are agreements between two or more municipalities on how the land close to the municipal boundary should be used.  These plans attempt to anticipate how much growth may occur in a given time period, what this might look like, and how to best accommodate it.  Intermunicipal Development Plans must always include a method to resolve conflict between the participant municipalities.

 

Area Structure Plans look at particular areas of a village, town, city, or county in more detail.  They are based on in-depth studies of water supply, wastewater treatment, transportation and traffic, environmental evaluation, and perhaps recreation needs.  Like all planning processes, the Area Structure Plan process also provides several opportunities for the community to be involved in talking about and arriving at a shared vision for the area under consideration.  The Plan then includes policies to ensure that this vision is realized as the community intended.

 

Area Redevelopment Plans focus on previously developed lands and chart a new course for these areas.  They more often are prepared in urban municipalities than in rural areas.  Leduc County is not considering preparing an Area Redevelopment Plan in the foreseeable future.

 

 

The North Pigeon Lake Area Structure Plan

 

Pigeon Lake is a treasured part of Leduc County.  With its long and rich history, the lake area has grown to encompass many lakeside cottages as well as a vibrant agricultural community.  In recent years, however, the lake has started to show signs of stress.  Increasingly intensive use of the land within the lake’s watershed has resulted in impacts to both the water quality and quantity at Pigeon Lake.

 

Leduc County recognizes that in order for its residents and the many visitors we receive to continue to be able to enjoy Pigeon Lake, efforts need to be made to coordinate use of the land surrounding the lake.  As a result, the County has undertaken to prepare an Area Structure Plan that will study that part of the lake watershed which falls within Leduc County.

 

The North Pigeon Lake Area Structure Plan will be a long-range plan with a 25 year planning horizon.  It will provide a policy framework to manage land uses and future growth around the lake.  The Plan will address the issues affecting the watershed as defined by Pigeon Lake stakeholders through a series of public events.  These events are designed to get the community together to talk about the lake, learn from each other, and help the County prepare the Plan.

 

The first public meeting was held on May 26, 2009 and started the process by asking people to share with each other and with the County what they know about Pigeon Lake and how to keep it healthy.  A second event was held on June 18, 2009 at which the community focussed on their shared values and identifying areas of significance around the lake.  A third meeting on July 14, 2009 will provide an opportunity for the County to respond to the community with what we have heard so far, and then to distill the themes and issues that have been raised into a set of guiding principles for moving ahead on the Area Structure Plan.  There will be a fourth meeting in the fall of 2009 to review a draft version of the Plan and test whether it meets the principles that were intended to guide it.

 

 

The Wizard Lake Area Structure Plan

 

Leduc County decided in 2008 to initiate an Area Structure Plan for the north side of Wizard Lake.  This plan will guide growth and land use around the lake for the next 25 years.   It will be the end product of a one year planning process in which public participation is a crucial component.

 

A kick-off event was held on February 25, 2009 which was intended to open up a dialogue between stakeholders, County staff, and the project consulting team.  On May 2, 2009 the community gathered again to review all of the data that had been gathered by that point and to work on generating a vision for the lake area.  A third event was held on June 25, 2009 at which the consulting team responded to the community about what they had heard in their previous interaction with stakeholders and how they interpreted this into a plan vision.  The community will again be invited to come together in the fall to review a draft of the Area Structure Plan and provide their comments to the consultant team.