The proposed new Land Use Bylaw went before the public Monday, April 3 in High River Town Council chambers.

Melissa Ayers, Project Lead with McElhenney Consultants says, after presenting it to Council for first reading back in February, a few changes were made including to the Town's flood map.

"The only difference really is that the flood fringe wasn't on the big map and so the flood fringe turned into that minimum flood development elevation map, so it was recognized that there was such a large proportion of the town that was identified as flood fringe, and still is and so that flood element has to be considered in future development, but shouldn't be the deciding factor," Ayers says. The minimum development elevation map was meant to be a conversation starter on how we can deal with flood mitigation on a site-by-site basis.

Ayers says on the issue of secondary suites they've taken the concept out of the by-law so there isn't a primary dwelling unit and a secondary, there are just two dwelling units.

"To make them more permissive, so to speak, you also remove that tendency to have illegal secondary suites, which is really a public hazard," she says.

Instead of each development coming to Town Council they will instead, if the by-law is passed with no changes in the area of secondary suites, be dealt with by administration in the development permit process, making sure they conform to building codes.

Council Chambers were full for the presentation of the new Land Use By-Law

The issue of parking was also brought up by Alan Tavish.

He lives in Montrose and is concerned about narrow roads with too many vehicles parking on the streets.

Ayers says the news by-law does away with the idea of a minimum of parking stalls that are necessary, letting the developer decide.

"Lets be honest from that perspectives, would a developer be able to sell a house that doesn't have enough parking for the people that are buying them,?" she says. "Now some buyers, if they're targeting a certain demographic or certain type of lifestyle may not need that, so then the question is, 'why should the by-law define who lives in those places."

She says in some areas there's an excess of parking with a two car garage and room for two move vehicles on the pad in front of the garage, but as time changes not all those spots may be needed in the future.

Council will take comments from the public hearing and bring the by-law back for changes and approval at its April 24 meeting.