The Ridge and Red Deer County’s recently adopted MDP
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 10:21 Last Updated on Monday, 10 August 2009 08:04
As you know, there’s a lot of development pressure around Red Deer, and it’s cutting into prime agricultural land. It was very forward-thinking of council members to recently approve a mandate that clusters development on non-agricultural land. Council should be applauded for this, along with allowing new conservation zoning for residential development.
The Ridge perfectly fits the guidelines and mandates that council put into place via the adoption of the new Municipal Development Plan on August 7, 2007. From section 4.4 of the MDP:
“Compact country residential subdivisions that conserve land and preserve the environment by demonstrating smart growth and green infrastructure planning and design principles shall be encouraged in order to promote higher density country residential development and alleviate potential conflicts with agricultural uses.”
Because of Council’s foresight and obvious environmental concern, and because we have followed all the guidelines put into place by this council, Cindy and I feel The Ridge can be a pioneering project for builders and municipalities interested in minimizing the carbon footprint of new developments.
In the unlikely event that you are a junkie for fine print, below is the portion of the MDP that shows how Red Deer County is intent on making it possible for a subdivision like The Ridge to reduce environmental impact and preserve farmland:
Section 4 of the Red Deer County Municipal Development Plan
Multi-Lot Country Residential
The demand for multi-lot country residential subdivision as a lifestyle option is expected to remain strong. However, traditional subdivisions with larger lots and private on-site services are becoming increasingly unsustainable, particularly in regard to land consumption (parcel size), water supply, groundwater contamination from private sewage systems, and long term road maintenance. Although some areas of the County may be able to support a modest increase in traditional multi-lot development, smart growth principles should be applied to new country residential development where appropriate, to encourage residential conservation developments as provided for in this section. Smart growth principles are being successfully applied to new development across North America and result in compact, serviced subdivisions that are environmentally sustainable. Compact, serviced subdivisions also meet the increasing demand for rural living but with more urban amenities and reduced maintenance.
Goal
The County supports appropriately located and serviced country residential subdivisions as a residential option to meet the diverse housing and lifestyle needs of its residents.
Residential Conservation
Subdivision 4.4 Compact country residential subdivisions that conserve land and preserve the environment by demonstrating smart growth and green infrastructure planning and design principles shall be encouraged in order to promote higher density country residential development and alleviate potential conflicts with agricultural uses.
Location of Residential
Conservation Subdivision 4.5 The County may consider residential conservation subdivision proximate to natural or man made amenities and as per the recommendations of the Agricultural Viability Strategy for Red Deer County.
Residential Conservation
Subdivision Requirements 4.6 Residential conservation subdivisions shall comply with the following criteria:
(i) The density and size of lots allow for efficient servicing while maintaining a significant portion of the site in perpetuity as greenways, green infrastructure or agricultural use;
(ii) The subdivision is serviced by communal water and sewer systems that extend from existing or new systems that are licensed by the province and comply with County standards, or the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of Red Deer County the applicability of alternative servicing strategies;
(iii) Access roads to subdivisions, and internal subdivision roads, are to be paved;
(iv) The subdivision is zoned Residential Conservation District.