Napoleon Lake South Development

“In general, new development increases home value in the long term (with a few exceptions) because new development usually means more opportunities to enrich the community.” – Turf Factory

More on ‘How New Development Affects Home Value’: https://turffactorydirect.com/blog/how-new-development-affects-home-value/?srsltid=AfmBOoogRaDo-3TfcOyAeoBVUwlYSGBjvkM2ROp3oo3rhZRPcRolvAQO

The Town will respond to incidences of criminal or disruptive behaviour in the same manner it does in other areas of the community – a combination of municipal enforcement and RCMP.

• Purchasing property requires budget from the Town.
• The existing inventory of residentially zoned land is already present to support development.

• The lands were originally identified for future residential/commercial development in 1990 upon the adoption of the Napoleon Lake Area Structure Plan.
• The Land Use Bylaw adopted in 2009 identified portions of these lands as Residential Single Family District (R-1B) and Residential Single Family District (R-1C) and Public Use (P).
• The 1998 Municipal Development Plan identified these lands as being a mixture of residential and open space.
• The Land Use District Map from Land use Bylaw No. 1138/94 showed the subject property as being a mixture of Residential Single Family District (R-1B) and (R-1C) as well as Public Use (P).

The area designated as Public Use lands will be used for public use such as trails, tree plantation and park areas.

There are many variables that will determine when or how long construction on this property may occur. A subdivision of this size could take up to two construction seasons to complete depending upon the availability of contractors, supply chain issues, labour availability, weather, etc. After that, the construction of individual dwellings will take time. A recent example is Bella Vista which still has vacant lots that were constructed a few years ago.

The examples are intended to show the use of a shared street and not the density or the aesthetic of the development.

• The land development is solely a Town project.
• The apartment building development may privately access Federal supports for the creation of new rental units.
• More on related available federal funding programs:
  • https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/apartment-construction-loan-program?_gl=1*1ua5q9g*_ga*MTEzODIwOTEyOC4xNzI2NjA1NzQw*_ga_7S87E8K748*MTcyNjYwNTczOS4xLjEuMTcyNjYwNTc1MC4wLjAuMA..
  • https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/affordable-housing-fund/affordable-housing-fund-new-construction-stream

The Town has entered into an agreement with a company for the first phase of the commercial component, a residential apartment building.

A geotechnical analysis will be undertaken as part of the engineering review of the conceptual plan to determine the level of groundwater in the development area and to provide recommendations on the type of suitable foundations for the soil conditions, groundwater level and the need for sump pumps.

• The new homes will be paying taxes to the Town but will not affect tax rates or assessment rates of existing homes.
• In fact, the new development will help pay for future servicing of existing services that are underutilized in the area.

• The concept plan has been prepared as part of the Community Services department’s annual work plan. No outside consultants have been used in the preparation of this concept plan.
• The Town has entered into a contract with Stantec Consulting to complete the detailed design and engineering for the project for a cost of $200,000. This work is funded from the Land Acquisition Reserve and will be recovered through any future land sales.

• The land use bylaw requires each lot to have a minimum number of parking spaces within their lot depending on the number of residential units. Each dwelling unit must provide 2 on-site parking stalls with any secondary suites/laneway suites having to provide one additional stall.
• The shared street has the same standard width as other residential streets in the rest of the town and will have street parking.
• Additional parking will be provided for people accessing the proposed green space in the west.

Since the Town is directly involved in the development of the area, there is a potential to explore architectural controls to ensure the development is built as intended.

• “In Canada, housing is considered “affordable” if it costs less than 30% of a household’s before-tax income. Many people think the term “affordable housing” refers only to rental housing that is subsidized by the government.” – CMHC
• This development is intended to offer diverse housing types from single detached homes to apartment homes, with the intent to offer a broader range in housing prices for broader income ranges.
• All lots are intended to be sold at market rates with preliminary estimates that lots would be sold between $60,000 (townhomes) to $130,000/lot.

The Town uses its Land Use Bylaw to regulate the use of the land and not the users of the land. Hence, the Town does not regulate its users in any area in town.

The Town will make revenue from selling residential lots as well as in the form of yearly taxes, which will add to the Town’s annual budget that helps serve the Town’s residents.

Detailed projections will be developed and provided to Council for their consideration prior to pursuing construction of the infrastructure. The revenue generated from the lot sales is intended to cover the costs of development.

Yes, the lanes will be standardized and similar to lanes in other areas of the town with rear attached garages. Considerations to make the lanes wider will be made during the engineering detailed design phase to accommodate services or traffic.

• Alberta Transportation owns approximately 62 meters right of way which is wider than the existing roadway with considerations in the case of expansion or servicing.
• Alberta Transportation regulates and determines the requirement for intersection upgrades for provincial highways like Highway 54. As development progresses through this area and all surrounding areas traffic levels will be monitored and requirements for upgrades implemented. The cost of these upgrades would be negotiated between land developers, the municipality and Alberta Transportation.

Considerations can be made to plan for screenings to buffer noise from the highway in the detailed engineering phase of the development.

Administration organizes public consultation, notifies adjacent residents, collects feedback through various engagement methods to help improve the development concept in the next phases of planning. A public consultation report will be presented to the Council as well as made available to the public through a public town hall and the project webpage on the Town’s website.