Regional Airport Land Use Project

OPEN HOUSE: WHAT WE HEARD

Foothills County hosted an Open House in November 2023, followed by a public feedback survey. Comments and feedback received throughout the Public Engagement in 2023 was prepared within a “What We Heard” report and presented to the Foothills County Council on February 7^th.

Council has advised staff to proceed with a public hearing and prepare draft Land Use Bylaw Amendments for consideration.

The complete “What We Heard” Report can be found here.

PUBLIC HEARING

The Foothills County Council will be holding a public hearing regarding the Regional Airport Land Use Project, on Wednesday, March 6^th, 2024, at 1:30pm. The project proposes the Land Use Redesignation of all Direct Control District #5 (DC5) properties surrounding the Foothills Regional Airport, as well as Amendments to DC5 District rules to better implement provisions for uses on the airport lands, and to adopt an Airport Protection Overlay to support the continued safe operation of the Airport.

The complete Staff Report containing the proposed Direction Control District #5, Airport Protection Overlay, and respective Land Use Bylaw Amendments will be available for review within Council’s meeting agenda, one week prior to the public hearing. A link to the agenda will be available here: https://www.foothillscountyab.ca/government/council-committees/meetings-hearings/council-meeting-march-6-2024

PARTICIPATION

The Public Hearing is conducted in a hybrid format whereby participants may attend Council Chambers in person at the Foothills County Administration Building, 309 Macleod Trail S, High River, AB or by way of electronic communications using the Zoom Video Conferencing/Conference Calling platform. Alternatively, if you would like to watch the proceedings without participating, a live stream and video recordings of the public hearing will be available here: https://www.foothillscountyab.ca/government/council-committees/meetings-hearings/council-meeting-march-6-2024

To participate via Zoom, you must first register by email to publichearings@foothillscountyab.ca and include the following information:

Date and Time of the Public Hearing you are attending
Name (you must use the same spelling when registering and when signing in)
Email Address
Mailing Address (in order to receive written notice of the decision)
Phone number (for contact purposes in case there are technical difficulties during the hearing)
Your purpose for attending (e.g., landowner in support of, or in opposition to, the application, etc.)

The deadline for registration for this hearing is 4:30pm, on Sunday, March 3^rd, 2024. Once registered, an email with detailed instructions will be sent to you within 48 hours of the scheduled public hearing.

If you are unable to participate in person or electronically, you may submit a letter in advance of the public hearing. Letters can be submitted by email to publichearings@foothillscountyab.ca, mail, fax or dropped off at the Foothills County Administration Building. Letters must include the date and time of the public hearing you are commenting on, your full name, mailing address, email address, and legal description to identify where you are located in relation to the project area. The deadline to submit a letter is 4:30pm, on Sunday, March 3^rd, 2024. Letters received after this deadline may not be considered by Council.

Written requests to adjourn or reschedule a public hearing accompanied by payment of the required $500.00 fee can be sent by email to publichearings@foothillscountyab.ca, by Fax (403) 652-7880, by regular mail to Foothills County, Box 5605, High River, Alberta, T1V 1M7, or dropped off at the Foothills County Administration Building, 309 Macleod Trail S, High River, AB. Requests must be received a minimum of 2 days in advance of the scheduled public hearing date to allow for circulation to all parties.

Please note that all submissions will be considered to be part of a file that can be viewed by the public at any time.

After hearing all information at the public hearing, Council may do one of the following: (1) they may give the Bylaw(s) three readings; OR (2) they may give the Bylaw(s) one reading and then ask for further requirements; OR (3) they may postpone the matter if more information is required; OR (4) they may refuse the proposal.

For additional information, please contact Drew Granson, Planner, - Drew.Granson@FoothillsCountyAB.ca

Feedback Survey
Foothills County is proceeding with public engagement to inform and receive feedback from County Residents and Landowners, High River Regional Airport Board Members, Airport Leaseholders, and the general public regarding the proposed Land Use Bylaw Amendments on and surrounding the High River Regional Airport.
Foothills County hosted an Open House on Tuesday, November 28^th, 2023. We would like to thank you for attending and providing your feedback. If you were unable to attend or have not had an opportunity to complete our feedback survey, please take this opportunity to review the information boards presented during the open house and complete the survey.
To view the Open House Information Boards, click here.
We value your input. To take the Open House and Feedback Survey, click here.
To view a copy of the Airport Land Use Project Plan click here.
You are also welcomed to email any questions, comments, or general feedback directly to Drew Granson, Planner – Drew.Granson@FoothillsCountyAB.ca
Please complete the survey and/or submit comments to the County by December 19^th, 2023, to ensure we receive your contribution before we move forward with drafting the new policies.

November 2023 Update
Open House
Foothills County is proceeding with public engagement to inform and receive feedback from County Residents and Landowners, High River Regional Airport Board Members, Airport Leaseholders, and the general public regarding the proposed Land Use Bylaw Amendments on and surrounding the High River Regional Airport.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE OPEN HOUSES?
We wish to provide opportunity for interested parties and affected landowners to review and understand the proposed policy changes, as well as provide feedback to further direct the drafting of these policies.
We want to open up this discussion with the County residents to obtain as much resident feedback as possible and provide opportunity for residents and stakeholders to participate in the planning process.
WHEN AND WHERE?
The open house will be hosted at the Town of High River / Foothills County Joint Administration Building, at 309 Macleod Tr. S., High River, Alberta, in meeting room LO4-LO5 on:
Tuesday, November 28th, 2023, at 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
There is no formal presentation; it is just a come-and-go event.
Information opportunities available at the Open House will be posted here following the open house.
We value your input. To take the Open House and Feedback Survey, click here.
To view a copy of the Airport Land Use Project Plan click here.
Background Information:

Foothills County is proceeding with initial phases of landowner and stakeholder consultation on the High River Regional Airport Land Use Project. This initial consultation consists of direct mailout to area landowners of properties currently designated under the Direct Control #5 Land Use District (DC5) and discussion with the Airport Board and airport property leaseholders.
The landowner mailout will contain an invitation to landowners to schedule an in-person, or telephone, meeting with County Staff to discuss any questions or concerns specific to their property within the DC5 District. This initial consultation is intended to provide landowners with an understanding of the purpose of the project as well provide the County with insight to help us better understand the context of each DC5 parcel and how it is used, which will allow us to determine an appropriate and suitable land use district to redesignate to from the DC5.
Once County staff has an opportunity to review responses and meet with affected parties, a “What We Heard” report will be presented to the County Council. Additional public consultation will follow.

Due to workloads and staffing constraints, Foothills County have had to temporarily put this project on hold. We are hoping to be able to re-initiate the project soon.
Foothills County Council has directed administration to undertake a project to amend the Direct Control #5 District (DC#5 or High River Airport District) and develop a plan for redesignating lands outside of the airport that currently have the DC#5 land use.
Currently, the DC#5 district is applied to the airport lands as well as nearby lands. Applying this zoning to lands in the vicinity of the airport was done in order to avoid any land use conflicts that may hamper the continued safe operation of the airport. However, it has created confusion as to what uses are actually allowed for on these parcels. In addition, since the completion of the new Airport Business Development Strategy completed in 2017 and the adoption of the revised High River Regional Airport Area Structure Plan in 2018 there is a need to update the land use district to allow for uses that are deemed appropriate on the airport lands.
To view a copy of the Airport Land Use Project Plan click here.
Background Information:

What can we help you find?

Alert

Fire Restriction - Lifted

2024 Summer Road Bans

Regional Airport Land Use Project

Feedback Survey

November 2023 Update

Open House

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE OPEN HOUSES?

WHEN AND WHERE?