Title
Dedication and Use of Municipal Reserve, Environmental Reserve, and/or Environmental Reserve Easement Policy C-PD15
Proposed Motion
That the revised Dedication and Use of Municipal Reserve, Environmental Reserve, and Environment Reserve Easement Policy C-PD15 be received as information.
Body
Purpose
Dedication and Use of Municipal Reserve, Environmental Reserve and Environmental Reserve Easement Policy C-PD15 (formerly Dedication of Municipal Reserve Policy C-PD15) is to provide direction to applicants subdividing land in Parkland County, and the requirements for dedication of Municipal Reserve (MR), Environmental Reserve (ER), or Environmental Reserve Easement (ERE).
Summary
Parkland County's Environmental Conservation Master Plan was accepted by Council in 2014. The Master Plan provides direction on how environmentally significant areas can be protected. Some of the options discussed in the plan include, Environmental Reserve, Environmental Reserve Easements, Conservation Easements, and the Alternative Land Use Service (ALUS) program. Parkland County has not previously adopted a policy or procedures for how these tools should be used during the subdivision application review process. Administration, therefore, has integrated ER, ERE and the other dedication method noted above into the County's existing MR policy. Administration also conducted a review and update of the current MR dedication policy. This review has produced the following documents being presented to the Committee:
1. Policy C-PD15 - Dedication and Use of MR, ER and ERE (replacing Policy PD15);
2. Procedure C-PD15-P1 - Appraisals for money-in-place of MR (identical to existing Procedure PD15-P1 with updated dates and references);
2. Procedure C-PD15-P2 - Dedication of MR, ERE and ERE (new procedure that contains several elements previously included in Policy PD15); and
3. Procedure C-PD15-P3 - Use of MR, ER and ERE (new procedure).
Administration presented Policy C-PD15, the Dedication and Use of MR, ER, and ERE, and the associated procedures, to the Governance and Priorities Committee on July 7, 2015. Administration has amended draft Policy C-PD15 based on the comments received at the Committee meeting. The amendments to the draft policy include clarification on:
1. the different forms of Municipal Reserve dedication which may be considered when reserves are owing (i.e. money-in-place of land, deferred reserve caveat, transfer of land from other locations); and
2. the purpose for the proposed 10 metre linear strips of Municipal Reserve identified in Procedure C-PD15-P2.
Administration has prepared a demonstration of the Riparian Setback Matrix Model as part of this presentation.
Administration will present Policy PD15 to the Environmental Advisory Committee following the decision at the Committee of the Whole.
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications
This policy is supported by the 2014 Environmental Conservation Master Plan, Section 6 - Environmental Management, and Section 7 - Municipal Reserve, of the Municipal Development Plan Bylaw 37-2007. The draft policy is also supported by the Municipal Government Act.
Financial Impact:
Cost: None.
Source of Funding: N/A