What does a recommended land use amendment mean for The Village?

The Community Infrastructure and Strategic Growth Standing Committee has recommended that Airdrie City Council should amend the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) which would allow the redistricting of a land parcel in The Village neighbourhood where the Airdrie United Church is.

According to city documents, Aomega Group Inc. has applied to amend the land use district of 216 1 Avenue Northeast to facilitate the redevelopment of the Airdrie United Church and Community Education Centre site.

"The existing District of P-1, Public Open Space District (zoning) does not list Supportive Housing, General as a use. Therefore, the applicant has proposed a new Direct Control District (DC-54) that will allow for this type of development and provide the community clear guidelines on how the site could be developed in the future," said Crystal Jeromski with The City on Tuesday.

Jeromski added that the primary goal of adopting a land use that would allow for the development of a supportive housing facility on the property.

"The reason a new direct control district is proposed instead of an existing land use district, such as P-2 or C-1, is to offer the village community a more specific development form or put another way, more confidence and surety as to what uses the community can expect to be developed in the future."

She also underlined that the LUB can only regulate the use and not the end-user or occupants themselves.

"There are no provisions within the Land Use Bylaw that could control who may reside within the facility. Indicators such as age, race, background, income, lifestyle, level of care, and support needs or requirements cannot be specified. That would be reflective of the operator's business model and intake process."

DC-54 would provide a supporting housing development, 'within the form and footprint of the existing buildings. The development should be designed in a manner which respects the heritage of the site provides a good pedestrian interface along the street frontage and is integrated sensitively with the surrounding area.'

"The district establishes the land uses and specific requirements for height, density, setback, massing, coverage, site orientation, landscaping, and architecture and design. These regulations intend to ensure that future development on this site fits with the character of the village and minimizes impact on the surrounding neighbourhood," Jeromski stated.

However, Jeromski underlined that if the LUB amendment proposal is passed by city council, it is not a development permit, though Aomega did submit concept designs. According to the future proposal, the development would include two separate two-story supportive housing buildings, each accommodating 14 rooms.

Up to 28 adult residents would live on the property and residents would be admitted permanently through Alberta Health Services.

"In addition to the residents, there will be 12 to 14 staff on site. The staff schedule is expected to include 12-hour shifts for health care aides for and in each building around the clock, eight-hour shifts for recreation aides and eight-hour shifts for housekeepers."

Jeromski said that the design would focus on residents living in an open floor concept where each floor is equipped with seven self-suited rooms with a communal living and dining area. She also said that Aomega Lodges also submitted a What We Heard report, summarizing what the organization heard from residents during two engagement sessions that were conducted earlier this year.

Questions asked included why Aomega was building in The Village as well as what type of residents would be in the facility. According to the document provided by Aomega, it is stated that the reason The Village was chosen is because there are no small care facilities in Airdrie, and the area offers many amenities within walking distance.

Other questions included concerns about the type of residents that may be housed in the future facility.

"Residents for the proposed Aomega United shall be DSL3/4. They pose no harm to neighbours. The average age is 45. The residents require 24/7 care, with a regulated health care professional supervisor/manager," Aomega wrote in its summarized response.

Another query was regarding concerns about whether residents of the facility might wander.

"Residents are monitored 24/7. The exits and entrances are all chimed/alarmed. When a resident leaves the facility, the caregivers are notified. All residents sign to exit and enter the facility. Residents that require companionship per their care plan are accompanied outdoors."

Aomega also underlined that the facility building will be in part funded with a grant from the province and that Alberta Health Services does control the facilities.

When queried about parking issues by a committee member during Tuesday’s meeting, Jeromski said that the LUB has a regulation for the minimum parking required for supportive housing use. According to Jeromski, within the LUB, Supportive Housing General is one stall per four beds, plus one visitor stall per five beds.

"At the development permit stage, which is where we'd be able to confirm if they are meeting the parking or not," she said. "It doesn't call for or designate parking stalls for the residents themselves and through the application review, typically, these residents do not drive, they do not have cars. The important aspect would be to accommodate the staff parking, which the applicant team is anticipating 12 to 14 staff, which happened to work out to be the number of stalls required."

The reasons for administration's recommendation that the committee recommend to council that the LUB be amended were enumerated among other things that, 'The regulations in the new DC-54 District supports development that is compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood.'

"The Village is an ideal location for a supportive housing facility as it is located close to shops, services, and parks and is served by transit. It will facilitate the development of a unique housing type that will serve the needs of individuals in Airdrie who require support services for mental health diagnoses and/or physical disabilities without having to leave their community."

It was also noted that supportive housing developments are critical to creating inclusive and thriving communities.

According to city documents, in keeping with the Municipal Government Act, the LUB, and the Public Notification Bylaw, notification of the public hearing will be provided in the newspaper and on the City of Airdrie website for four consecutive weeks. All landowners within The Village Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) area will be directly notified via mail, and the applicant will have to erect a property notification sign.

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