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Old Posted May 6, 2009, 4:47 AM
feepa's Avatar
feepa feepa is offline
Change is good
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Capital Region Board: Growing Forward

I wondered why more people are not discussing the Capital Region Board. Seems like this board is making great strides in the last 6 months, but the news is rarely talked about. I consider the development of this board a huge cornerstone for Edmonton and the Alberta Capital Region.

Why is it that something that should so fundamental shape the way this region grow not be receiving much details in the news? (And really not much discussion on SSP. I figure since we have a lot of urban and city buffs here, this discussion can and will warrant its own thread on SSP newly minted "Edmonton" Section...)

Will these plans for the region work? It seems that attitudes of many politicians in this region are very positive and optimistic about working together, about sharing a common future. This is something we haven't seen in a long time in Edmonton, if ever. Maybe some of us are skeptical of the results. Waiting a few years to see if any regional squabbles erupt before coming to an opinion, but I think we should all take a closer look, and a have a deeper discussion. We are no longer just the "City of Edmonton". We are the Alberta Capital Region, a united metropolitan area.

(I'll assume this is fair game for posting in as much as I feel reasonable, as they have active links to share on various forms such as email, etc..)

Quote:
Capital Region Growth Plan: Growing Forward The Capital Region Growth Plan: Growing Forward was submitted to the Honourable Ray Danyluk, Minister of Municipal Affairs on April 2, 2009. The Growth Plan provides a vision for the Capital Region in the future.
The Growth Plan includes four components: a Land Use Plan, an Intermunicipal Transit Network Plan, a Geographic Information Services (GIS) Plan, and a Housing Plan. The Land Use Plan is based on sound planning principles that will allow the Region to: manage growth while minimizing the development footprint; strengthen communities; focus on transit-oriented development; and ensure a strong economy in the future. The Transit Plan charts a course for coordinated expansion of intermunicipal transit. The GIS Plan sets out a process for establishing an information service that will allow the Capital Region Board to make effective regional decisions and measure the impact of those decisions. The Housing Plan is a blueprint to ensure Capital Region residents have access to affordable housing. As key elements of the Capital Region Growth Plan, these four components are based on interrelated principles and will together support the vision of a prosperous economy and an improved quality of life in the Capital Region.
Executive Summary (PDF)
Capital Region Growth Plan: Growing Forward (PDF)
The Capital Region Growth Plan is primarily a summary of the four component Plans, and also includes sections on:
  • Vision and Shared Understandings
  • The Consultation Process
  • Growth Forecast
  • Implementation of the Growth Plan
  • Governance and the Future of the Capital Region
  • Stakeholder Engagement
Capital Region Growth Plan – Appendices
  1. Capital Region Population and Employment Projections Report, Appendix 1 (PDF)
The following links are to the individual component plans, in full:
  1. Land Use Plan, Appendix 2 (PDF)
  2. Intermunicipal Network Transit Plan, Appendix 3 (PDF)
  3. Geographic Information Services (GIS) Plan, Appendix 4 (PDF)
  4. Housing Plan, Appendix 5 (PDF)
Quote:
Land Use MANDATE

The Capital Region Board Regulation provides the mandate for Land Use in the Capital Region Growth Plan. It requires a comprehensive, integrated regional land use plan for the Capital Region that includes the following:
  • Population and Employment Projections
  • The identification of
    • Priority growth areas
    • Land supply for residential, commercial and industrial purposes
    • Agricultural lands
    • Buffer areas
    • Density of development, and
    • The development and location of infrastructure
  • The identification of corridors for recreation, transportation, utilities and intermunicipal transit
  • Policies regarding environmentally sensitive areas
  • Policies for the co-ordination of planning and development among the participating municipalities, and
  • Specific actions to be taken by the participating municipalities to implement the land use plan.
Click on the link below to access the Land Use Plan (Appendix 2 of the Capital Region Growth Plan):
Land Use Plan (PDF)
VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Vision Statement adopted for the Capital Region was:
  • A family of diverse interdependent communities in a prosperous and sustainable region.
  • A region where the uniqueness of its residents, communities and natural environments are respected and supported.
  • A region that adapts to and promotes change to ensure the social, economic and cultural well being of its residents and communities, and which sustains its natural and human environments.
The overarching Strategic Principle adopted to guide decisions on land use was to Optimize Priorities:
  • Building on our strengths and what we already have, new growth and development in the Capital Region shall optimize the priorities of environment, community, services, economy, transit and management.
From the Vision Statement and the Strategic Principle, six key Land Use Principles were adopted:
Protect Environment and Resources
  • Preserve and protect the environment
  • Preserve agricultural lands
  • Protect natural resources
  • Minimize the impact of development on regional watersheds and airsheds
  • Minimize the impact of heavy industrial developments.
Minimize Regional Footprint
  • Identify, protect, and prioritize lands for regional infrastructure
  • Concentrate new growth within Priority Growth Areas
  • Allow growth outside of Priority Growth Areas
  • Support expansion of medium and higher density residential housing forms
  • Support cluster country residential development
Strengthen Communities
  • Create inclusive communities
  • Support healthy communities
  • Support public transit
  • Support innovative and affordable housing options
Increase Transportation Choice
  • Integrate transportation systems with land use
  • Support the expansion of transit services in various forms
Ensure Efficient Provision of Services
  • Design integrated physical infrastructure within the region
  • Maximize utilization of existing infrastructure
Support Regional Economic Development
  • Ensure a supply of land to sustain a variety of economic development activities
  • Attract and retain individuals and families with a diverse range of skills to the Capital Region to satisfy the region’s economic development goals
  • Support regional prosperity
  • Position the Capital Region competitively on the world stage
KEY OUTCOMES

Land Use Policies are associated with the Principles above. The Principles and Policies address the land use requirements of the Capital Region Board Regulation. The Principles and Policies also provide the framework to direct the development pattern of the Capital Region to more compact growth, a reduced development footprint, greater emphasis on transit for personal mobility, intensified land uses and a broader range of housing supply. The Land Use Principles and Policies are the framework that provides the direction for future land use decisions in the Capital Region. Click on the link below to access the Land Use Principles and Policies.
Land Use Plan Principles and Policies (PDF)
LAND USE COMMITTEE

The members of the Land Use Committee responsible for preparing the Land Use Plan are:
Mayor Stephen Mandel, Chair City of Edmonton Mayor Anita Fisher, Vice-Chair Town of Devon Mayor Lloyd Bertschi Town of Morinville Mayor Nolan Crouse City of St. Albert Mayor Greg Krischke City of Leduc Mayor Marvin Molzan Leduc County Mayor Cathy Olesen Strathcona County Alderman Randy Palivoda City of Spruce Grove Mayor Donald Rigney Sturgeon County Mayor Jim Sheasgreen City of Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Rob Wiedeman Parkland County Reeve Wayne Woldanski Lamont County Mr. Rob Penny Government of AlbertaCONSULTATION

Development of the Land Use Plan was informed by the findings of a public and stakeholder consultation. There were three components to the consultation which took place over two time periods.
In the fall of 2008, consultations were held with a broad range of stakeholders. In January 2009, a qualitative survey of more than 1,300 Capital Region residents was conducted. In February 2009, a final round of consultations was held. The Consultation Summary provides details on the results of and participants in the consultation process.
Consultation Summary (PDF)
Quote:
Transit MANDATE

The Capital Region Board Regulation provided the mandate for Transit in the Capital Region Growth Plan. It required:
  • The decision-making process to approve the regional intermunicipal transit network.
  • Procedures for implementing the delivery of the regional intermunicipal transit services.
  • Provision for the special transit services for the persons with disabilities.
  • Methods for reviewing and monitoring the regional intermunicipal transit network plan
Click on the link below to access the Intermunicipal Transit Network Plan (Appendix 3 of the Capital Region Growth Plan):
Transit Plan (PDF)
VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Vision Statement adopted for Transit development in the Capital Region was:
“The Region’s transit network enables the Capital Region to achieve its economic, social and environmental objectives by making transit a convenient and competitive mode of transportation.”
With respect to Guiding Principles, the Capital Region Intermunicipal Transit must:
For Planning:
  • Be integrated with land use planning in the Region.
  • Be integrated with regional roadway investments to ensure that the benefits of the transit service are levered to the greatest extent possible through protection of transit corridors and provision of transit priority measures within regionally significant roadway and highway corridors.
  • Be easily expandable as the Region grows and travel demand evolves.
  • Recognize complementary regional, local and private services.
For Local Transit:
  • Be flexible enough to support local community needs and services within the Regional network.
For Specialized Services for Persons with Disabilities:
  • Enable equitable, barrier-free access to mass transit for the disabled.
  • Be available to disabled persons where warranted and practical.
For Governance:
  • Be mandated by relevant legislation, administered through an appropriate regional governance structure, and characterized by cooperation and coordination.
For Cost Sharing:
  • Be recognized by funders and the public as a valuable public service.
  • Be supported through dedicated cost-sharing from all levels of government, industry, and users.
  • Be delivered fairly and equitably to citizens of the Capital Region recognizing the shared benefits of a well-planned, and integrated regional transit network.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS / OUTCOMES

The Intermunicipal Transit Network Plan identifies the following eight priority areas as essential to the successful implementation of the Plan:
  • Approval of the Capital Region Intermunicipal Transit Network Plan
  • Support of the Ongoing Role and Mandate of the Capital Region Board
  • Development of a Capital Region Roadway Plan
  • Public Transit should be Considered in the Context of Other Public Policy Issues
  • Provision of stable Operating and Capital Funds for a Regional Transit System
  • Preparation of a Cost Sharing Model
  • Implementation of “Quick Wins”
  • Finalize Details of the “GreenTRIP” Program
Quote:
Housing Providing a diverse range of housing options will impact people’s choice on where they live. How we grow in the Capital Region will affect a household’s transportation choices, commute patterns and consumption of energy and other natural resources. Ensuring a sufficient supply of housing is needed to continue to be globally competitive as a Region to attract and retain a diverse and skilled workforce. The CRB will need to work with all orders of government and industry to ensure housing is a regional priority.
The housing plan, one of the principle components of the Capital Region Growth Plan, addressed the following mandate:
MANDATE

The mandate of the Housing Committee was to develop a plan regarding social and market affordable housing requirements for the Capital Region that include recommendations with respect to the following:
  • The general location of social housing
  • Options to increase market affordable housing
VISION & PRINCIPLES

The vision and guiding principles will serve to guide the full range of implementation activities to address the housing needs across the Capital Region.
Vision There is a sufficient supply, choice and diversity of housing within the Capital Region
Principles
  1. Recognize that Non-Market (social) Housing requires sustainable, predictable, and adequate levels of funding in the form of capital and operating dollars from the Provincial government, with support from the Federal government.
  2. Leverage partnerships with the private sector, public sector and not-for-profit organizations to provide a broad range of affordable and safe housing for all income levels that meets the diverse needs of the Capital Region.
  3. Respect the unique needs of the Capital Region municipalities and create choice and diversity of housing options to enable the Capital Region to attract and retain the workforce necessary to be globally competitive.
    1. Plans, policies and programs must be responsive to housing needs and market conditions.
    2. To respond to local needs, solutions may be different in different communities.
  4. The location of housing is based on integrated planning for efficient land-use that considers access to necessary amenities like transit and support services and that achieves affordable, appropriate types of housing stock and densities for both renters and owners.
  5. Build sustainable and inclusive communities that respect and support families of all income levels who represent the diversity of people who contribute to the prosperity of the Capital Region.
  6. Foster collaboration among the Capital Region municipalities to achieve regional housing needs based on housing investment priorities and innovative housing solutions.
Housing Plan (PDF)
The Housing Plan provides a clear strategy and framework to address the Region existing unmet and its future housing requirements that considers the future growth in population and employment in the Capital Region. The plan is also based on extensive consultations from a broad range of housing service providers and the building and development industry and a comprehensive quantitative analysis to understand the affordability gap at an individual municipal level. The results of the affordability analysis for all Capital Region municipalities can be found in the Appendix- Community Profiles.
The goal of the housing plan is facilitate a change in development patterns, with an emphasis on adopting Smart Growth principles, as a basis for achieving long term sustainability. Including specific housing goals for affordability, density and diversity of housing in built forms, within the Capital Region. The plan includes a series of recommendations to a broad base of stakeholders, working together, to increasing the supply and equitable distribution of Non Market and Market Affordable Housing in the Capital Region.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
  • The implementation of a Governance Model to oversee the implementation of the housing plan by the CRB.
  • The implementation a 10 year rolling Housing Plan, based on a sub regional planning model, of six regions.
  • Working with the province, as part of the 10 year housing plan, explore alternative funding allocation models for capital and operating dollars to address the housing needs in the region.
  • That the Province supports legislative changes to provide municipalities with greater flexibility to address housing gaps.
  • That the Province identifies and implements appropriate incentives to stimulate private investment in Affordable Housing.
Included in the plan are recommendations to the CRB, all orders of government and industry, in the form of required actions, to do address the full range of housing needs in the Capital Region.
A lot of these mandates and ideas contained in the newly formed Capital Region Board are going to change the way we act and function as a region. It should be the answer to smart, controlled, sustainable growth to Edmonton and the whole region. Less and less we will compete against each other, and our function will be to compete cohesively internationally. We are able to drop our irrational fears that Edmonton is the big boogie man, or Strathcona County is the evil big industrial tax dodgers. We are now one united region.

It's time for a full fledged review here in Edmonton, and I hope some of you will take the time to review these fundamental changes further on the capital region board site. Most of the meat and potatoes are contained with in these links:

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  #2  
Old Posted May 15, 2009, 11:38 PM
Great Dane Great Dane is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 162
Should be appropriately titled the "Metro Edmonton Regional Board"... just like it is done with Vancouver and area.
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