Vision and Guiding Principles
The Downtown Urban Design Master Plan was a key starting point for preparing Our Plan for Downtown, but we’ve heard that it isn’t quite hitting the mark, and the guiding principles and concepts need a revisit.
A Downtown Framework
The Town is working on Our Plan for Downtown. This plan will guide incremental changes and redevelopment as it naturally occurs over time. This plan is an area redevelopment plan under the Alberta Municipal Government Act and will form part of the statutory planning framework for the Town.
Creating this plan isn’t about starting over from scratch for the downtown vision.
The plan will use existing Town plans and past community input. Over the last few years, the Town completed several studies, reports, and plans (e.g. Municipal Development Plan, Downtown Urban Design Master Plan and Land Use Bylaw) to improve the downtown area. As part of these past project engagements, the feedback and input we heard from downtown residents, businesses and the Okotoks community will be used to create the plan. We intend to create a plan to enhance downtown, keeping it vibrant, fun and economically viable.
There will be a lot going on in downtown in the next few years; this plan will be created while the Unique Main Street project is happening. The Unique Main Street project will determine the design standards for the public spaces along Main Street. This information will be included in the plan when drafted.
The idea is to remain agile, respect previous community engagement and demonstrate action on downtown enhancements.
We know that policy sets out the framework for a vibrant downtown, and action does the work of building it. These projects are meant to work together to set out the future direction for a cohesive downtown and to start now with improvements along the main street.
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Review the updated vision and guiding principles
Downtown-Wide Land Use and Design
Review the land use and design guidelines.Learn more about what is and isn't appropriate for downtown and guidelines for designing of buildings and properties.
Our Plan for Downtown will be a Area Redevelopment Plan, a statutory document that aligns with section 634 of the Municipal Government Act as follows:
An area redevelopment plan may be initiated to preserve or improve land and buildings in the area; rehabilitate buildings in the area; remove buildings from the area; construct or replace buildings in the area; establish, improve or relocate roads, public utilities or other services in the area; or facilitate any other development in the area.An area redevelopment plan must describe:
- the objectives of the plan and how they are proposed to be achieved,
- the proposed land uses for the redevelopment area,
- if a redevelopment levy is to be imposed, the reasons for imposing it, and
- any proposals for the acquisition of land for any municipal use, school facilities, parks and recreation facilities or any other purposes the council considers necessary.
The plan may contain any other proposals that the council considers necessary and must be consistent with higher level statutory plans, including the municipal development plan, inter-municipal development plan, and regional plans.
Generally includes the lands south of Crescent Road and the escarpment, north of the shoreline of the Sheep River, east of Poplar Avenue and west of the commercial development along Northridge Drive.
Contact Us
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
| Phone | 403-938-4404 |
|---|---|
| Website | www.okotoks.ca |
