Proposed Land Use Bylaw Changes: Industrial (I3) District

More Information

• Proposed Changes

  The proposed changes to the I3 district are based on the currently regulatory framework as it exists today and are intended to serve as an interim measure to facilitate additional development until the comprehensive re-write of the land use bylaw is completed.

  Proposal	Intent
  New Permitted Uses Offices Public Parking Lot Current Discretionary Uses Moved to Permitted Automobile Repair & Service Shops Laboratories Utility Buildings Warehousing	To allow more uses to proceed without requiring a development permit and quicker approval times, thereby providing more certainty to prospective tenants, landowners and developers   Light and medium industrial uses deemed to have minimal external impacts (i.e, noise, odour, outdoor storage) have been moved/added to the list of permitted uses to promote the industrial focus of this district
  New Discretionary Uses Accessory Uses Brewery, Winery & Distillery Cannabis Production & Distribution Facility Commercial School (does not include school aged children) Convenience Store Drinking Establishment Dry Cleaning & Fabric Care Plants Eating Establishment Entertainment Establishment Household Services Shop Kennel Pet Care Service Private Parking Lot Recreation Facilities – Private Vehicle Rental Facilities Veterinary Clinic – Small Animal Veterinary Clinic – Large Animal	To address the frequent requests for many of these uses to be added to the district Commercial uses are intended to fill a support service role to the employees and patrons of the area and have been added to the discretionary category to ensure the primary intent of the I3 district to accommodate light and medium industrial uses is not compromised Industrial uses with the potential for high traffic generation and/or external impacts (outdoor storage, noise, odour) have been added to the discretionary category to allow for consideration of the scale and intensity of the use and to identify and mitigate potential impacts to adjacent land uses through the development permit process
  Retail Stores have NOT been added as a Principal Use in the District	The Municipal Development Plan , which regulates development in Okotoks, speaks to a limited range of commercial uses to serve those employed in the area and limited retail being located in industrial areas The East Okotoks Area Structure Plan , which provides further policy direction to the I3 lands, speaks to the lands being utilized for light and medium industrial of a manufacturing, processing, assembling, or distributing nature. The stated purpose and intent of the I3 district is to “provide for a wide range of light to medium industrial uses of a manufacturing, processing, assembling or distributing nature.” Many of the existing and proposed uses in the I3 district provide for  a secondary retail component (accessory retail sales) Existing and proposed I3 uses that can include accessory retail sales include: Automotive repair and service shop Industrial service shop Manufacturing plant Warehousing Agricultural related business Automobile dealership Brewery, distillery, and winery Building supply centre Convenience Store Flea Market Gas Bar Service Stations Retail Store – Warehouse is a listed use in this district to accommodate the sale of bulkier items that may not be suited to a commercial land use district Allowing retail stores as a principal use has the potential to reduce the amount of serviced land available for industrial uses

• Why are these changes being proposed?

  • Administration successfully negotiated amendments to a restrictive covenant that affects the lands, which now allows for consideration of a broader range of uses to be added to the district;
  • To address concerns expressed by landowners regarding difficulty in filling vacant space due to the limited number of uses allowed in the district;
  • To serve as an interim measure to increase opportunities for additional development on I3 lands in advance of the comprehensive Land Use Bylaw re-write currently underway.
• What is the intended outcome?

  • To increase opportunities for commercial and industrial development while maintaining the ability to use the lands for light and medium industrial uses
  • To support business retention, expansion and attraction in the I3 Land Use District
  • To facilitate the growth of non-residential tax assessment
• Thank you for providing your feedback!

  The Town thanks those who participated in the I3 engagement for providing their comments.  The feedback received indicated support of the proposed amendments.