Some developers in High River want changes made to the Land Use Bylaw.

One complaint is that if a new home is going into an established area with a back alley, garages have to be in the back and that doesn't work for everyone and it's not required in Calgary or Okotoks.

Mayor Craig Snodgrass says that's what council wants.

"We do not want to design High River just like cookie cutter Airdrie or Okotoks, we've got to define High River, offer something different to attract people," he says. "Some of the builders, it's one piece that I struggle to understand is this concept that everybody has to have a front entrance garage, I just don't get it but the builders are saying it's a really big deal for some reason."

He says he's asked them why it's so important but hasn't gotten a really good answer back.

The mayor says what they're trying to avoid are the neighbourhoods where, when you drive down the street all you see are garage doors with homes behind them.

He says areas like the southwest where there's more variety in the homes, it makes for a much better streetscape.

Snodgrass agrees something needs to be done to address the need for variances and the 21-day delay they cause builders.

"Right now in some of the existing developments, such as in the northwest, which has these big front garages and everything, if somebody wants to put a house in there that looks just like all the other houses around there, they've got to get a variance because the Land Use bylaw requires something different, so they have to get these variances," he says.

The variances mean developers have to pay a fee to the Town and there's a 21 day waiting period which slows construction during an already short construction season.

But mayor Snodgrass says in some areas like the southwest the variance are very important because they give residents who live in the area now a chance to have their say in how it should look in the future.

"One important thing is if you see a white sandwich board out in front of a build, and you're around that area you should probably have a look at it and read it because it means something to you that's why it's there and then you can ask yourself how it affects you." Snodgrass says.

Variance approvals go to staff right now whereas Snodgrass says they should go to council because he says developers may be building a house but council is building communities.

 

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