Preplanning for Growth

It was good to hear another candidate last night (Forum at Festival Hall September 30, 2025 7:00pm-9:30pm) echo an idea I’ve raised before: developers looking at Red Deer should be able to see a piece of land where the prep work—utilities, zoning, environmental and traffic assessments—has already been taken care of. If the City, and even private landowners, get that work done ahead of time, it makes Red Deer far more attractive. A developer could look and say, ‘Oh, I can build here, the zoning and services are already in place? Perfect—let’s move forward!’

I said 'steal my idea' and I meant it, because it isn't really my idea. I got it from Poilievre and the Conservatives talking about the need for a corridor across Canada where developers who want to build can get a package up front showing all the studies and assessments and zoning are done and the parcel of land is ready for shovel work to begin. Poilievre said to the Liberals "please! take our ideas! use them!" and I say the same.

I mentioned this last night to someone. The 3rd phase of the Clearview North district should have been clearly laid out the day that Red Deer acquired the land. Instead we zoned it A-1 and left it up to future debate. It had single family homes and townhouses next door (excluding the apartment building that was part of the formerly planned 'religious site' parcel I believe). The 3rd phase should have already been zoned and defined.

"Oh, you want to buy this and build on it? Great, we expect x number of townhomes or x number of duplexes or x number of apartment buildings on it. Don't like that restriction? Then perhaps look at all the other land we have available in Red Deer that might suit what you want to build."

The third phase (final phase) of a development is always the hardest to build because the developers want to push the line a little further than previously, and, understandably this meets resistance from those already living in the area. Pre-planning and defining of 'future development land' would end this. People living in the area would know when they bought their house that the land across the street was zoned for an apartment complex that 'some day' might be built.

Red Deer should also not be in the real estate business, sure we can acquire 'future development land' but once it is defined as to what can be built there it should be sold to the first prospective developer. It's then up to them to continue to pay higher taxes on it or go ahead with developing the land as Red Deerians want.

If I don't win this October I still think this is another idea that will benefit Red Deer. And another candidate brought up a point I discovered during the Clearview controversy. Our development plan is 12 YEARS old! We are stagnant in our sensible growth because we're basing much of our path on a plan that was written in 2013. It should be mandatory that a new Plan be drafted and voted on 'at least' once every 10 years. We can not be a city continuing to live in the ideas of the past.