City Council & Committee of the Whole Meeting Agendas

Return

Bylaws Item #: 9.a.

Regular Council Meeting

C-711-09 - First Reading - Municipal Development Plan - Hales

Date:	08/17/2009
Presenter:	Amber Nicol	Submitted By:	Planning & Infrastructure
Department:	Planning & Infrastructure

Information

Recommendation

That first reading be given to Bylaw C-711-09 - Municipal Development Plan.

Purpose

The purpose is to give First Reading to the City's re-written Municipal Development Plan (MDP). The MDP is a statutory document which provides a vision for the future growth and development of Spruce Grove.

Background

Your Bright Future: Municipal Development Plan 2009-2020 has been under development for over a year now. Important stepping stones completed so far in the process are: (1) the SpruceGroveQuest consultations last spring; (2) the development of Sustainable Spruce Grove: an Integrated Municipal Sustainability Plan; (3) an open house on February 26 to showcase Sustainable Spruce Grove; and (4) two workshops and an on-line survey to collect input on preliminary policy ideas. As part of this process, careful review of the Capital Region Growth Plan was conducted to ensure that this MDP aligns with the regional direction.

Your Bright Future: Municipal Development Plan 2009-2020 is an important tool for Spruce Grove, bringing together economic, environmental, and social elements and providing a community sustainability-based framework to direct future growth and development. Integral to this plan are the concepts of balance and adaptability, which are woven throughout the six themes that form the backbone of Your Bright Future:
• Governance;
• Environment;
• Form and Infrastructure;
• Economic Development;
• Community Life; and
• Regional Partnerships.

Building on past initiatives, and recognizing the long-term focus needed to address sustainability at a community level, Your Bright Future outlines a vision for what Spruce Grove could become in 2040. While the vision outlook for this plan is 2040, Your Bright Future’s extent is 2020 with a review scheduled for mid-way through this timeline. The discrepancy in these timeframes allows for a long-range vision while recognizing the constraints of long-range planning in the context of continuously changing conditions.

The vision and policies outlined in Your Bright Future provide Council with the opportunity to provide clear direction on what type of community Spruce Grove can become in the future. Together, they place Spruce Grove as a regional leader in many areas of community sustainability. This is particularly true for the Governance component of the plan.

The attached document provides Council with the opportunity to review the second draft of Your Bright Future (the first draft was discussed by Council at the June 15 Committee of the Whole meeting). Feedback received to-date from Council and community members is incorporated into the second draft. The draft is currently available on the City's website for public review. Following First Reading, two open houses and a public hearing will be held in the fall to collect additional public input.

A hard copy of the draft MDP will be provided to Council in advance of the August 17, 2009 meeting.

Options

To give the re-written MDP First Reading.

Impacts/Consultation

The re-written MDP will provide a new framework for the City to direct growth and adapt to change. Please see the attached report for more details on this framework. By giving this document First Reading, Administration can move forward with open houses and the public hearing tentatively scheduled for September 2009. Past consultation efforts are detailed in the attached document.

Implementation/Communication

A framework for the implementation plan is included in the attached document. The implementation plan will be the last component of the plan finalized after the priorities of Council and community members are clear. Efforts are underway to ensure the implementation strategy for Your Bright Future is linked to the corporate planning process which includes the Strategic Plan, Fiscal Plan and departmental business plans.

Core Strategies

Efforts were made to ensure the draft MDP aligns with the forthcoming strategic plan and business plan (not yet adopted by Council). This plan meets the strategic goals of:
- Benefiting from Growth;
- Pursuing Operational Excellence;
- Serving the Community;
- Growing our Economic Bases; and
- Embracing Environmental Stewardship

Fiscal Impact

Attachments

Bylaw C-711-09

City Council and Committee of the Whole agendas and minutes are posted on the City of Spruce Grove website for information purposes only. These agendas may be changed at the discretion of Council by the addition or deletion of items. Anyone reviewing the draft agenda should do so on the understanding that it is subject to change by Council.

All attachments are in PDF format, and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in for viewing.