London Road ARP Review Survey
Introduction
What’s this about?
The London Road Area Redevelopment Plan (LRARP) was adopted by City Council in 2018, and since then has been used by Council and staff to guide planning and development decisions in the neighbourhood. The LRARP called for an in-depth review to begin after five years. This review is the subject of this survey.
Why review the LRARP?
In 2021, City Council adopted the new Municipal Development Plan (MDP). This is Lethbridge’s highest-level statutory land use plan, covering all of Lethbridge, and all ARPs must comply with policies in the MDP. Some relevant policies in the MDP include policies 50, 58, 65 and 68, which support a range of housing types and call for increasing housing densities in existing areas. Further, MDP policies 90 and 91 support the incorporation of small-scale, street-fronting commercial units within appropriate locations in existing neighbourhoods.
The updated LRARP must comply with these MDP policies. Since 2018, under the current LRARP, there has been a net gain of only 6 homes in the neighbourhood. It is proposed that some LRARP policies be adjusted to provide more opportunities for the creation of additional homes, in a way that respects the existing built form and character of the neighbourhood. Doing so would have numerous benefits, including: tackling housing affordability by increasing housing supply, and particularly smaller/less expensive housing forms; improving sustainability by allowing more people to live in a walkable neighbourhood close to downtown, rather than on the edge of the city; helping existing neighbourhood businesses stay open by having more customers nearby; and making efficient use of existing neighbourhood infrastructure (e.g., pipes, roads, wires), which in turn helps keep taxes low.
Adding new homes into the neighbourhood can be done in many different ways. This survey presents the changes proposed by City planning staff. We'd be grateful if you would complete the survey to tell us your thoughts on how the LRARP should be updated to best position the neighbourhood for the future! In the coming months, City Council will make any final decisions about updates to the LRARP through a public hearing process, at which any member of the public may have their say. The public hearing will be advertised when a date is set.