County LUB amendment needed for existing use of property

By Nikki Jamieson
Sunny South News

Lethbridge County council is considering a rezoning application to allow an existing use to continue on the property.

During their regular June 18 meeting, county council reviewed a proposed amendment to their land use bylaw that would rezone a property from Grouped Country Residential (GCR) to Direct Control (DC).

The applicant, Premiere Woodworking, has been operating a woodworking shop on the property, located off Range Road 212A. However, when a review of the county’s records was completed for the property, it was determined that the property did not have the the appropriate zoning or development permits in place for that use.

A GCR land-use district does not allow for a stand-alone commercial or industrial uses to go in that district.

After a discussion with the landowner, it was determined that rezoning the property to a DC district would be appropriate, as it would to allow for only the current uses on the property and not allow other industrial or commercial uses, which could negatively impact the adjacent residential properties.

Bylaw 20-014 aims to amend the LUB from GCR to DC for Plan 9610161 Block 4 Lots 2 in the NW 34-10-21-W4.

“This application is to redesignate a parcel that has been used for a woodworking operation for the last number of years,” said Hilary Janzen, senior planner for the county.

In a letter accompanying the LUB amendment application and bylaw, the landowner said the property was subdivided in 1995, and when the property owner applied for a development permit at that time, they were told that it wasn’t needed for a “big garage”.

The property was later sold to the Premier company, although it still had the same owners, and was used as a construction shop.

In 1998, the main shop was converted into a woodworking shop, and the plan is to continue to use the property as a woodworking shop, construction, storage and maintenance.

The applicant says that other country residential properties in the area have shops on then, and the business is well suited for the area.

Council unanimously performed first reading of Bylaw 20-014. A public hearing for the bylaw is expected to be held during council’s August meeting.

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