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This Month's Issue:
Growing in St. Albert
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Flourish: Growing to 100K
The City of St. Albert has embarked on an exciting new initiative that will shape how the city grows and develops to a population of 100,000 and beyond.
A new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is being developed, which when finished, will serve as a long-range planning policy document guiding how St. Albert grows into the future - detailing where the growth will take place, and what type of growth it will be. Important topics covered will include:
- environmental conservation, living in harmony with the natural surroundings and protecting those things that make St. Albert special;
- movement and connectivity, ensuring we can move throughout the community safely, efficiently, and effectively;
- economic development, ensuring support and growth of local businesses that contribute to the tax base, employ residents, and provide good-paying jobs;
- current and emerging trends, learning about and taking advantage of the latest best practices around the world; and
- St. Albert's regional role, being a good neighbour and fulfilling regional responsibilities as part of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board.
The MDP provides the foundation for other City documents, including all Master Plans and the Land Use Bylaw (LUB). The MDP will also be used to measure progress or change and will incorporate performance indicators to ensure goals and objectives are being met.
Developing the MDP will use a phased approach to engage the community and provide opportunities for feedback.
In Phase 1 (now complete), the team consulted with community and business leaders and undertook technical reviews to identify growth challenges and opportunities.
In Phase 2 (currently underway) scenarios are being developed to describe where and how St. Albert grows over the long term. The scenarios will consider appropriate locations to live, work, shop and play, and the "built-form" of each of these areas.
In Phase 3 (coming soon) the project team will take input from Phases 1 and 2 to create a preferred growth scenario for Council consideration. The team will develop supporting policies for environmental protection, housing diversification, economic development, culture, parks and recreational amenities, transportation and urban design forms.
Once approved by Council, the team will work on finalizing the MDP for submission to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB).
To learn how you can add your voice to the new MDP, and for dates and timelines to completion, you can click on the following link for more information:
https://stalbert.ca/dev/mdp/
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Upcoming Events
April 5 - 7
April 9
April 16
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Attracting a Younger Population: First Garage Suite Completed in St. Albert
Over the past twenty years, St. Albert has seen an increase in the age composition of residents with mature adults (50 to 64) and seniors (65+) growing. It was identified a few years ago that St. Albert needed to diversify housing styles and offer more affordable housing options in order to retain and attract a younger working population. St. Albert City Council has made it one of their Strategic Priorities to enhance housing options. Council also made amendments to the Land Use Bylaw in February 2018 to allow for new secondary suite options including garden suites, garage suites, and above grade suites.
Garage suites, also referred to as carriage houses, backyard suites or laneway homes are typically single or two-storey structures which are built in the back yards of single-detached homes. To be considered an official garage suite, they must have their own living space, bathroom and kitchen, and they may contain their own parking area in the garage area below or on a parking pad beside the garage suite structure.
Earlier this March, the first garage suite in St. Albert was completed. The structure consists of an 800 sq. ft two-car garage and an additional 800 sq. ft living space above the garage.
This size of garage suite fits within the allowable size of 807 sq. ft habitable net floor area of living space for garage suites as described in the City of St. Albert's development application process. Any new garage suite must be architecturally different from the principle dwelling unit on the same lot of land and must not be subdivided from this principal dwelling to create a separate legal title for the garage suite. The following are some additional bylaw requirements laid out in the garage suite development application:
- The garage suite must not be
- Within 1.8 m from the side property lines;
- More than 7 metres in height from the finished grade;
- Located less than 4 metres from the primary dwelling or less than 1 metre from the rear yard when the door is not facing a laneway;
- Located less than 4.5 metres from the rear property line if access is to a laneway;
- Encroaching over a utility right-of-way or easement.
Garage suites are not to be confused with garden suites which have their own separate rules, regulations and styles. Garden suites are also legal, detached dwellings that are ground-orientated and must be in the backyard or side yard of a property with a single-family home as the main dwelling. The allowable size for these suites is 538 sq. ft of habitable net floor area and must have their own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping facilities and living space. The following are some additional bylaw requirements laid out in the garden suite development application:
- The garden suite must not be
- Within 1.8 m from the side property lines;
- More than 4.5 metres in height from the finished grade;
- Located less than 4 metres from the primary dwelling or less than 1 metre from the rear yard when the door is not facing a laneway;
- Located less than 1 metres from a rear yard;
- Subdivided from the principal dwelling as to create a separate legal title for the garden suite;
- Encroaching over a utility right-of-way or easement.
The full garage suite and garden suite application process can be found on the City of St. Albert's website under Building & Development Permits:
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St. Albert Job Fair - Looking for qualified employees in St. Albert?
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
8 a.m. - Set up, breakfast and keynote speaker
11 a.m. - Job Fair begins
Location: St. Albert Inn & Suites - #156 St. Albert Trail
Cost: $50 per table
The City of St. Albert and various partners are hosting a job fair to connect local employers with local job seekers. Businesses with available positions are encouraged to participate in our job fair.
Registration includes breakfast and the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Dennis Cuku, CEO, philanthropist and co-founder of the Mosaic Family of Companies.
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Business Spotlight On... Hunter's Music
Don Hunter, owner of Hunter's Music, is determined to bring a new kind of musical experience to the Perron District: "Everything is so digital in today's age, but there is that connection in picking up an instrument that says music is never going away." Having grown up with a close friend who lived in Grandin, Don used to frequent the downtown area, and felt that the district was a natural fit for his business: "I know this is an arts community town - I like the small-town atmosphere, and I feel like downtown is the center of that; this was a nail-to-the-wood fit for me."
Hunter's Music offers a range of new and used instruments for sale, instrument repair services, and musical lessons for people of all ages and skill levels, including vocals to piano to almost every stringed instrument and even performance classes where people can learn to feel comfortable on stage. "We also have a recording studio in the works, and we offer a great deal on a normally expensive service: $80/hour or less here, where you'll be paying $100-$120 if you go anywhere else."
Don is also offering consignment services, which adds a unique value to the business: "The niche I have is consignment; not everybody has the money to buy a brand-new instrument." Anyone can bring in any stringed instrument for consignment, and Hunter's Music will display it for sale in the store for 90 days; if the instrument sells, the business keeps a 25% commission with the rest of the sale going to the original owner (and don't worry - if you change your mind and want your instrument back, Don will gladly hand it back to you if it hasn't been sold). "There's a real market for consignment, especially in the age of Kijiji and Amazon - people still want to come in and hold an instrument, there's something to be said about holding an instrument and connecting with it."
If you happen to be looking for a brand new guitar, Hunter's Music offers the Hunter Guitar, the business's own 100% Canadian-made Guitar: "People miss being able to buy a local product that was made in their own country," notes Don; "having played many big brand-name guitars, this one blows them out of the water!"
The way the business handles these products and services speaks to its core value of mentorship, according to Don: "There is that connection in picking up an instrument that music is never going away; for a child to come in and take lessons and have mentorship: you need that. Mentorship is how we become better people." Don hopes to foster a home-grown music community through his business where singers/songwriters will be able to come together to learn and improve their abilities, and to record and share their own music.
Hunter's Music
110 - 39 St Thomas Street
780-907-6121
The Spotlight on Business is a monthly feature wherein we highlight a local business and learn more about what they do and how they positively contribute to the identity and economy of St. Albert. If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured in a future issue, please contact [email protected] with a brief description of the organization.
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New Businesses in St. Albert
Commercial/Industrial Businesses
Erin Ridge Physio Inc. 780-347-0251
420-935 St Albert Trail
Physiotherapy Clinic Offering Rehab Services Including Massage Therapy
Platinum Finishing and Millwork 780-901-7127
100-16 Renault Cres
Small Finishing Carpentry and Millwork, Installs Mouldings
PPC Petroleum Parts Canada Inc 1-866-953-7165
17 Rayborn Cres
Parts Distributor
Ruth Pullam Counselling Services 780-232-7209
2207-13 Mission Ave
Providing Therapeutic Counselling Services for Adults
Woven Wellness 780-904-7752
219-200 Carnegie Drive
Massage Therapy
Eco Lawn Care and Fertilizer 587-985-2996
Yard Maintenance
Fun Kids Dayhome 780-236-0521
Dayhome - Take Good Care of Kids
Paradise Healing 780-289-0646
Alternative Healing
Shiphaus78 / Yves Collection 780-729-3527
E-commerce/Online Retail Platform with Drop Shipment. Apparel Clothing, Jewelry, Bags, Pants etc.
The Greenkeeper 780-720-5963
Lawn Maintenance
The Organic Gardener and Company 780-904-0025
Organic Garden Care and Design
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Monthly Growth Stats
Single Family Housing Starts
Single Family Dwelling Resales
Building Permits Issued
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City of St. Albert | info@stalbert.ca
29 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue | St. Albert, AB | T8N 0G3 |
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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