City of Airdrie seeking input from business owners

Members of the business community are encouraged to attend a forum about Airdrie’s growth plans, policies and regulations and what they may mean to businesses in the city.

Planning for Prosperity, which is being hosted by the City’s Planning and Development and Economic Development departments, will be held on June 7 in the Rotary Room at Genesis Place from 8 to 10 a.m.

“The forum will provide a targeted discussion that will give the business community an opportunity to provide insight into the creation of (Airdrie’s growth) plans,” said Amber Osaden-Ullman, planner with the City of Airdrie.

Realtors, developers, storefront owners and industrial business owners will all find the forum informative, said Osaden-Ullman.

City staff will provide an update on the recent annexation and how the city plans to grow in the future; talk about the recently approved AirdrieONE sustainability plan and how it may or may not affect businesses; and inform the business community about the ongoing rewrite of Airdrie’s Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Development Plan.

City staff will also be asking for feedback to be considered during the rewrite of these policies.

For the next six to eight months, City staff will be looking for feedback from Airdronians about the Land Use Bylaw, with the goal of completing the document, which contains policies governing growth.

According to Kent Rupert, economic development team leader, it is time for a fresh bylaw.

“Over the past number of years, it has been changed so many times (that we wanted) to rewrite it from scratch,” he said.

Osaden-Ullman said the City wants to make the Land Use Bylaw more accessible and user-friendly.

The City is also in the process of rewriting the Municipal Development Plan, a statutory document outlining Airdrie’s growth plan for the next 30 to 50 years that will be registered with the Province.

For more information about the Land Use Bylaw and upcoming public engagement events, visit www.airdrie.ca/newairdriezoning

To register for the free community forum, call 403-948-8844 before May 25.