Planning
The Design of Subdivision
Things to Consider
When designing a subdivision, it is imperative that the Foothills County Land Use Bylaw be consulted for guidance.
Development controls provided in the Land Use Bylaw describe all the regulations that govern the use, density and development of all land and buildings in the County, as well as other regulations such as parcel sizes, setbacks, height restrictions, parking requirements, signage restrictions, drainage restrictions and subdivision servicing.
Some important factors that will influence what you can or cannot do are:
- The type of development being proposed
- Requirements for roads or utilities
- Reserve requirements
- Required Setbacks
- Presence of historic or environmentally significant resources
- Management of stormwater
Subdivision - The Basics
Application Forms and Resources
Subdivision refers to a process of dividing a tract or tracts of land for the purpose of creating new title(s). Subdivision of land into parcels (or lots) is an integral part of the land development process, and is subject to both Provincial regulations and Municipal bylaws and policies.
According to section 653 of the Municipal Government Act:
A person may apply to a subdivision authority for subdivision approval in accordance with the Subdivision and Development Regulation by submitting to the subdivision authority a proposed plan of subdivision or other instrument that describes the subdivision. The subdivision authority in the County of Foothills is the Municipal Council.
In order for sub-division to occur, it must be allowed for under the land's current Land Use Designation. If this is not the case, it may be necessary to apply for Land Use Re-designation prior to applying for Subdivision. For this reason, the re-designation process and the subdivision process are often grouped together. Both these processes are outlined in flow charts under the section: The Subdivision of Land -Re-designation Flowchart, and The Subdivision of Land - Subdivision Flowchart. The process of sub-division is outlined in the Subdivision Process document. There are fees that are associated with making applications for re-designation and subdivision. The current Foothills County Fee Schedule is online in the Resource Library.
All landowners are entitled to submit an application for subdivision. The new MDP2010 takes a conservative approach to development in order to balance growth with conservation of our agricultural lands, our natural areas and our rural way of life. It would be appropriate, when considering subdivision, to refer to the Municipality's MDP as well as all other sections under Planning on this website.