Lethbridge city councillors will be meeting all week long due to Bylaw 6265, which will see the adoption of an updated Municipal Development Plan.
Council has directed administration to review and update the existing plan rather than writing an
entirely new one.
The plan will provide relevant citywide strategic policy guidance as Lethbridge continues to grow.
The city reached a milestone in 2019: surpassing a population of 100,000 residents.
Within the next 30 to 50 years, it’s anticipated Lethbridge will grow to more than 150,000 people, according to the city.
The MDP must address the following issues specified under Section 632 of Alberta’s Municipal Government Act:
- future land use within the municipality
- provision of transportation systems
- provision of reserve land
- protection of agricultural operations
The plan will also need to carry forward the outcomes already established in both the existing MDP and Integrated Community Sustainability Plan.
In January 2019, a council workshop was held to discuss the scope and expectations in reviewing these plans, and through public consultations, the city found the following topics to be top of mind for residents:
- local economy
- Indigenous relationships
- future growth
- housing
The following nine MDP policies will guide the work of city council and administration:
- arts, culture and heritage
- community well-being
- housing
- places
- transportation
- utilities
- environment
- relationships
Tuesday’s public hearing will examine policies relating to transportation, utilities and services, along with the environment.