The County of Stettler is holding a public hearing on July 14, 2021 to pass a bylaw to adopt an Area Structure Plan (ASP) and to remove themselves from partnership in the Buffalo Lake South Shores Intermunicipal Development Plan (BLSSIDP).
Council for the Summer Village of White Sands has formerly advised the County of Stettler of their opposition to this bylaw.
The purpose of the BLSSIDP is to satisfy a requirement of the Buffalo Lake IDP (BLIDP) where a statutory plan must be prepared in a coordinated manner by the Summer Village of Rochon Sands, the Summer Village of White Sands and the County of Stettler for the South Shore Growth Node prior to any further multi-lot subdivisions being allowed.
By adopting an ASP, development along the South Shores of Buffalo Lake, within the County’s land, would no longer require input from the Summer Villages of Rochon Sands and White Sands.
Further, we believe the proposed ASP is not respectful of the original intent of the BLSSIDP or the BLIDP in the following regards:
The overall consensus expressed by the public was that future lot sizes, density and ultimate population were factors most affecting their sense of community, with the overall guiding factor being the size of future lots.
The public strongly voiced a preference for larger lots of up to two acres in size, with the smallest lot desired being 0.5 acres in size.
Density around the lake – safeguarding and ensuring the shorelands, environmentally sensitive areas and the health of the lake, and adequate lake access and boating safety.
The proposed ASP, even with the opposition and concerns expressed in the public information sessions, continues to give the County of Stettler the option to consider a single site, multi-unit Paradise Shores style RV development with a capacity of 700 units.
For these reasons, we cannot support the proposed “County of Stettler No. 6 South Shore Area Structure Plan.”
by Council for the Summer Village of White Sands
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