FAQs

An Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) is a statutory planning document approved by City Council. The purpose of an ARP is to establish a high-level vision based on extensive stakeholder engagement and a thorough understanding of the area's past and current context. This includes aspects like utility servicing, pedestrian, bike and vehicle mobility, parks and open spaces, land use, and heritage, among many others. Once a vision is established, policies are developed to promote strategic, orderly and appropriate redevelopment of the area through both private and public investments. ARPs are meant to guide redevelopment over the long-term and can take several decades to become fully realized.

Established neighbourhoods in Lethbridge – such as the Warehouse District – change and evolve over time. A large component of a neighbourhood’s evolution involves redevelopment, which tends to begin when buildings and public areas (like roads, sidewalks, parks, etc.) need to be refreshed, revitalized, renewed, or in some cases, even replaced.

When redevelopment starts to happen, it is helpful to have an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) in place to help guide these decisions and make sure that private and public development is happening in a way that is reflective of the neighbourhood’s vision.

City Council acts as the decision maker for all ARPs in Lethbridge. Once the project team has completed a final draft version of the Warehouse District ARP, it will be brought forward to Council for a Public Hearing, at which time Council will review the plan and consider input from the community when making their decision. It is anticipated that the Warehouse District ARP will be submitted for Council’s consideration early in 2023.

We want to hear your thoughts about the Warehouse District: what are your favourite parts, what needs to be re-thought, and what do you want the future of this district to be? The Get Involved Lethbridge project page, and other planned engagement events are two avenues where you can provide your input. Stay up-to-date on opportunities to share your vision of the area by subscribing to project updates through the ‘Stay Informed’ tool.

The Warehouse District ARP project was initiated in the summer of 2022. Over the Fall of 2022 the City will be engaging with local businesses, residents and other stakeholders around the vision and desired future state of the district, as well as policies and an implementation plan to support their realization. We aim to bring forward a draft ARP to the public for feedback in January 2023, followed by a formal submission to City Council in the months that follow.