By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Council Meeting highlights

May 4, 2021 | 7:01 AM

Highlights from Grande Prairie City Council meeting on Monday, May 3:

– An idea to complete a second-floor mezzanine at the new activity/reception centre at the same time the facility is built was defeated in a tie vote. Some council members want to wait and see what the needs of the community would be before deciding what to have built. Others were worried the cost would go up if it was delayed. The $400,000 that had been set aside for the second floor work will stay in a reserve fund until a decision is made on what to have in that space. Some preliminary work on the site in the Smith subdivision has started. Council did vote in favour of keeping it a city-run facility until 2024. Council did not feel that, given the tough times community groups are having now, it was not a good time to have one of them try to run the facility.

– Council approved a new Energy Strategy for Grande Prairie. It is intended to provide a way to shift to efficient energy generation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and what is called “conscious energy consumption.” It identifies some key pillars. One of those is a major generation project, with the Hughes Lake area identified as a potential site for electricity generation. It also identifies some ideas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions including battery vehicle charging stations downtown and in new buildings, a feasibility study for solar farms, and a renewable natural gas partnership with Aquatera at the landfill. There are no firm plans for any of these things yet. The Energy Strategy also says the city wants to be carbon neutral by 2035 and restates a goal from 2014 of a 20 per cent cut in GHG emissions below 2009 levels.

– Two people who live behind the Coca-Cola Centre went before council to ask something be done about noise coming from turbines that have been installed on the north side of the building. They say they were assured they would only be noisy during start-up, but instead, the noise goes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One of the homeowners described the noise as a high-pitched sound like a dryer would make. Councillors did assure the delegations something would be done. A total of six residents had contacted the city about this same issue before Monday’s meeting. Council voted to receive the presentation for information on the expectation that city staff would follow up with the homeowners. One suggestion was to turn them off at times when people would be in their yards, but city staff says that would put a $750,000 grant at risk.

– Council has approved changes to the Land Use Bylaw that will allow more options for infill developments in areas zoned Residential Transitional. The idea first came up when people wanted to see more than three-plexes being built in older neighbourhoods. City Hall says this would allow more options like rowhouses and narrow detached homes. It would also require two parking stalls per unit. Concerns remain about people still parking on the street and that interrupting garbage hauling, snow removal, and street sweeping. Council also approved a change to the Hillside Area Revitalization Plan that a 2.2 metre sideyard setback not be required for rowhouses. A motion from Councillor Wade Pilat to have administration prepare a report on having 20-foot front yards and four feet of separation when two homes are built on one lot was also approved by Council. Pilat is hoping this encourages more home ownership rather than building more rentals.

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