The MD of Foothills is looking for an efficient way to deal with a growing number of applications to open event centres in the Foothills.
MD development officer Heather McInnes said the municipality is currently working on a land use bylaw to address special event facilities.
Currently, there is no land use bylaw related specifically to facilities such as wedding venues or other event centres in the MD of Foothills.
“For the entire MD, event centres seem to be the flavour of the year,” said McInnes. “I don’t know why, but suddenly everyone wants to have one.”
The new event centre direct control land use will specify what types of special event uses and facilities could be applied for by a landowner, though it will not guarantee every aspect of an application will be approved, she said. Even if council approves an application for an event centre as a direct control land use, it still has discretion to approve or deny aspects of the application under the development permit, said McInnes.
Once event centre direct control land use rules are approved by council, they will also be applied to other facilities currently operating within the MD, she said. This would include Panorama Ranch in the Millarville area.
Owner Michael Kaumeyer had applied to be able to host four monthly farm-to-table education events and an annual Harvest Moon fundraiser on his property. Council voted in April to only allow the annual fundraiser and rezone the property as direct control, giving council more control over activities held there.
Panorama Ranch’s application was handled by Kristi Beunder, of CivicWorks Planning + Design, who said she has seen a lot of event centres come up in the MD lately.
“I think it’s appealing because it provides people with an opportunity to have a home occupation and work at home and diversify their agricultural services they provide,” said Beunder.
She said she’s seen people apply to run everything from wedding venues to facilities that would allow property owners to host events promoting their own goods made from their farms, like honey wine, beef, or other farm-to-table products.
Beunder said the economy could be part of the driver behind people looking to their own properties for business investments.
“They’re trying to diversify, to get more interest in their products and sell them, or just find themselves alternative income solutions in this downturn,” said Beunder.
“I think that’s why we’re seeing more and more of it.”
She said addressing event centre applications with a new direct control won’t necessarily help applicants get their proposals approved, but it will provide a little more information about possible uses and identify event facilities on a land use map for potential new residents.
It’s better for prospective buyers in the neighbourhood than putting a site-specific amendment on a country residential or agricultural property, which would not reveal the nature of business on the land, she said.
“They did the same thing with limited public arenas and commercial arenas,” said Beunder. “They made that DC-27, so then it shows up on a zoning map and then council of course can control every aspect of the use by it being direct control, which is not a bad thing in this case of event centres.”
A wedding venue and bed and breakfast, Camelot, located just north of DeWinton, would also be subject to the new event centre direct control designation.
Owner Shirley Sherbut applied to expand her business from hosting ceremonies to having up to six guest cabins and a reception hall on-site.
Council voted on Sept. 6 to allow for the current operation to be approved, but denied the expansion of the business after hearing from area residents who were concerned about increased traffic at a railway crossing and potential noise and fire hazards from guest cabins.
“She’s been operating a wedding centre without permits for the last 12 years,” said McInnes. “When she came in she was proposing to include an event centre to host not only ceremonies but also receptions, which she has sometimes done in her home, but the costs would have been astronomical to bring it up to code.”
Camelot will fall under the new event centre direct control, said McInnes.
This decision sat well with Division 5 Coun. Ron Chase, who felt the resident concerns were valid. He said putting the property under direct control makes sense, so council continues to have a say in what happens at Camelot.
“I feel that allowing them to carry on the current operation is the right thing to do,” said Chase.
