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Redevelopment plan preventing home renovations in the Flats

Aug 9, 2017 | 3:36 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The best laid plans often go awry. It’s an age old lesson the City of Medicine Hat is learning after changing the zoning in a neighbourhood in the Flats.

In 2013 the city created the Flats Area Redevelopment Plan in consultation with the community, laying out areas where small businesses could build, where services and schools could go and where single family and multi family dwellings should be built.

The plan went into effect in 2013 but is now having major impacts on some homeowners.

Matthew Byers, his wife and two kids hired Gerald’s contracting earlier this year to help put an addition on to their home in anticipation of a new baby girl.

Byers went to the city in March with the plans and said he was surprised to learn the homes on his street had be rezoned to neighbourhood commercial. That means he would not be allowed to do any renovations, improvements or expansions to his home.

“I expected to come down and file some permit paperwork and show them the plans and go to town and get it done,” he explained. “But it’s been a very lengthy process.”

It took Byers months and several meetings with city planners to get his property rezoned back to single family residential, a move that was approved by City Council at their August 8th meeting.

The city is now also looking at possibly rezoning the other homes back to single family residential.

“In all likelihood it looks like that area’s going to be residential for the foreseeable future,” said commissioner of planning and development Stan Schwartzenberger. “But, that doesn’t negate that ultimately the community would like to see some commercial there.”

Councillor Bill Cocks said while the redevelopment plan has merit the city may have put the cart before the horse in designating existing homes as commercial lots.

“That’s a good long term plan, but we just haven’t quite got there yet,” Cocks said. “Meanwhile the people who live there want to continue to live there and upgrade their houses.”

Byers said he’s happy this issue has been resolved and he can get to work on expanding the home he’s lived in for the past 17 years.

The city is advising anyone who is thinking about doing some major renovations or adding on to their homes contacts the land and properties division six months to a year in advance.

“Come in and talk to the staff in the planning department,” said Schwartzenberger. “Tell them what you want to do, work through some of the options and then there will be no surprises when you’re ready to do what you want to do.”