Capstone may soon see flexibility in development regulations
Red Deer’s Capstone area may soon be seeing more flexibility in its development regulations in an attempt to increase opportunity, the City says.
At their first regular meeting of 2023 on Monday, city council unanimously gave first reading to a Land Use Bylaw (LUB) amendment to the Riverlands (Capstone) Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP). The Flexibility amendment, proposed by city administration, would give the Development Authority the ability to vary all Capstone regulations with the goal to provide additional design options for developers and reduce red tape.
The City says they would like to place focus on Capstone’s “big picture” by asking if a particular development is meeting the overall intent of the vision rather than meeting all of the initial design criteria.
According to the 2016 ARP, the vision’s intent, dating back to 2000, was to develop the area into a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use, and dense neighbourhood that acts as an extension of the downtown. Administration confirmed in September 2022 that no developments have been made in the area since 2016.