Town council has passed a land use bylaw amendment that would see the commercial core of the Uptowne area expand westward.
The area in question runs from 48 Street to 52 Street and as far west as 52 Avenue. The bylaw was passed on Oct. 14.
Most of this area will be rezoned from General Residential “R2” to Central Commercial “C1.” Under this designation, a dwelling located above ground would be a discretionary use, decided by the municipal planning commission, said Matthew Pawlow, planning manager for Parkland Community Planning Services.
“The proposal before you with this bylaw is the last remaining C1 area remaining from the redevelopment plan from Uptowne,” Pawlow said.
“With the public engagement last year through the Uptowne Redevelopment Plan, there was a request to have that commercial area further west, just a little bit more and that would be your final westerly boundary.”
“Anything that's existing at this time may continue to exist on that property.”
Pawlow said he received one email and four phone calls, mostly from residents concerned about their property assessments resulting from the bylaw amendment.
Zoning and assessments are not directly linked, he said.
While a land use bylaw dictates what the property can be used for, an assessment is based on what the actual use is, he explained.
Generally, if a residential property is rezoned as a commercial district, its value tends to increase. Industrial districts are the most valuable and agricultural ones the least, Pawlow said.
