County development permits down

By Nikki Jamieson
Sunny South News

Lethbridge County’s Planning and Development Department has received less development permits than usual in the second quarter of 2020.

During their regular Aug. 6 meeting, Lethbridge County’s senior planner Hillary Janzen presented the second quarter report for the Planning and Development Department.

Lethbridge County’s Planning and Development Department takes direction from the bylaws and guiding documents such as the Lethbridge County Municipal Development Plan, Intermunicipal Development Plans, Lethbridge County Land Use Bylaw and Area Structure Plans. The Planning and Development Department manages the issuance of development permits and compliance letters, amendments and updates to the Land Use Bylaw, planning projects, intermunicipal relations and referrals, enforcement of the Land Use Bylaw, road closures and licenses and land sales and leases.

In the second quarter of 2020 along with day to day duties, the department undertook the projects of completing the Hamlet of Chin and Kipp Growth Studies, completed the Grouped Country Residential Land Use Strategy and started the Hamlet Growth Studies for Shaughnessy and Diamond City.

Between Jan. 1-June 30, 2020, 87 development permit applications were received, a decrease from 2019, when 107 development permit applications were submitted in that same time period. Janzen said it was expected given the current situation, and they have been seeing more development permits issued in the the past month.

“We’ve seen an uptick (in applications), over the last month, as things started to open up, and we’ve noted we’ve had quite a number of applications come in in July, which is somewhat unusual for the county. Usually July is one of our slower application months in terms of receiving applications,” said Janzen. “This next quarter will probably be more telling of how, what the overall impact of having the lockdown and quarantine has been on development in the county.”

A total of 75 development permits were issued and 12 applications were under review in the second quarter of 2020, this includes development permit applications made at the end of 2019. Of the permits that were issued, 24 were residential, 15 accessory buildings such as shops or garages, 16 commercial/industrial, eight agricultural, three signage, six home occupation and three miscellaneous.

Between Jan. 1-June 30, 2020, 370 Safety Codes Permit applications were submitted. Of those permits, 67 were for building permits, 164 electrical permits, 70 gas, 48 plumbing and 21 for private sewage.

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