CANMORE – A long-awaited move to discourage employee housing in Canmore’s light industrial areas is returning to council.
Council previously directed Town staff last September to remove reference in the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and land use bylaw as well as clarify use in other Town planning documents.
If first reading is passed by council on Tuesday (July 2), a public hearing would take place Sept. 3.
A staff report highlighted three sections of the MDP would need to be changed by council majority.
“The proposed amendments change the language in the MDP from support if certain criteria can be met, to non-support for new development proposals in industrial areas to the north of the Trans-Canada Highway, and more specific criteria for industrial areas to the south,” stated the staff report.
Section 2.2 which outlines the pattern of growth would have a slight change under the industrial component, while Section 5.3 which indicates market affordable housing would remove, add and reword two subsections. Section 12.1 focuses on general industrial policies and would have a subsection modified.
Changes are also proposed for four land use districts in the land use bylaw. However, previously approved employee housing units would become legal non-conforming and continue to be used for employees.
“There will not be an opportunity to apply for additional employee housing units on the same property, however,” stated the report of the light industrial district and general industrial district in the area of Bow Meadows Crescent.
The proposed changes to the land use bylaw would be more robust than the MDP, with the four districts removed, reworded or added, specifically employee housing provision subsections.
Town staff are proposing rather than removing employee housing from the transition industrial district on Industrial Place and the southern business district near the municipal heliport, some accommodation be allowed.
The transition industrial district and southern business district are proposed to replace the term employee housing with dwelling units above the ground floor. If approved, the staff report states it will shift the district to “more mixed commercial/industrial development that is better suited to support some residential use.”
The residential units, however, will be no more than 30 per cent of the gross floor area, limiting the size of what can be built to be more “workforce oriented”.
The proposed bylaw would have dwelling units above the ground floor be no larger than 37 to 84 square metres, depending on if it’s bachelor, one-, two- or three-bedroom units.
In addition to districts being clarified, the wellhead protection study that was approved in the 2022 budget will also be modified. The study, which is set to come to committee of the whole in September, clarifies the location of the aquifer from where the Town gets its drinking water since land uses may impact it.
The study “recommends the removal of potential industrial uses that could impair the aquifer that provides the Town’s potable water supply from the [transition industrial] district,” according to the report.
The topic of employee housing in Canmore’s light industrial areas became contentious and polarizing for roughly 16 months in 2022-23, particularly given the housing crunch felt in the community.
Several projects went before the Canmore Planning Commission (CPC) and Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) – with mixed results of success or denials – and often pitted Town staff against property owners.
Town staff recommended against employee housing in light industrial areas, arguing it would take away valuable land for commercial and industrial use and also because of the lack of amenities, distance from garbage, more noise and less connectivity for people living in such an area. Municipal staff have indicated such units could be used for illegal vacation homes.
Property and business owners have highlighted the need because of their desperation for staff due to a lack of housing, which has impacted the ability to consistently run operations.
The retail gap analysis and light industrial and commercial land review study recommended council stop employee housing going in light industrial areas, restricting its use to commercial and industrial purposes.
CPC approved 12 employee housing units in May 2022 at 121 Bow Meadows Cres. and a subsequent July 2023 hearing led to an increase to 15 units.
Two one-bedroom units at 127 Bow Meadows Cres. were approved by SDAB last February. A well-attended May SDAB hearing had more than 30 people in attendance and 16 businesses and individuals spoke in support of employee housing at 100 Alpine Meadows. SDAB ruled against Basecamp Resorts' proposal for 12 second floor employee housing units to add 34 bedrooms.
