(New!) Land Use Bylaw 24-04

 

NEW LAND USE BYLAW

In March of 2025, Council adopted the Town of Falher’s new Land Use Bylaw (LUB). This is the final step in a long process that began in the summer of 2022.

 

 This new Land Use Bylaw is a key step for Council’s encouragement for development in the Town of Falher. These changes are designed to promote an inclusive community by reducing the number of residential zone classes, cut red tape, and enable further development and growth within our residential zones. While there are a lot of changes, some highlights are included below.

 

NEW LAND USE BYLAW – KEY CHANGES

 

  • Expanded the list of uses that are permitted and discretionary in residential, commercial and industrial zones
    • This means fewer LUB amendments, ensuring quicker and easy processing
    • Making it easier for new businesses to open and for new homes to be built in Falher.

 

  • Simplified sign regulations (All districts, Residential, Commercial, Industrial)
  • Modernized information on new/renewable energy systems, such as solar.
  • New flexible parking requirements.

 

  • Full revamp of our residential zones!
    • Created definitions and enabling regulations for new/modern forms of housing/dwelling types including Tiny Homes and Shouse/Barndominiums
    • No municipally imposed minimum size for residences (follow Ab Building Code)
    • Expanded and clarified information on Additional Dwelling Units making it easier to understand the rules and regulations for building separate living quarters on a property
    • Established criteria for having more than one primary dwelling on a single lot making it possible to build more homes
    • Increased the age limit for used Manufactured Homes to 15 years (Previously 10 years). Build quality has drastically increased over the years, and this lowers the barrier to home ownership.
    • Increased the percentage of lot coverage in residential districts to allow for more buildings (or larger buildings)
    • Expanded the use of sea-cans as accessory structures (using a sea-can as a shed for example; with requirements for matching quality and design of the dwelling)

 

  • Flat Residential Zoning
    One of the biggest pieces of our LUB refresh!

 

  • All low/medium residential style property zones have merged into 1 zoning district. (3 distinct districts into 1 zoning district)
  • Encourages development throughout Town, including different types of homes

 

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

At the onset of the process, the Town of Falher initiated Public Consultation with an open call for public members to join the Land Use Bylaw Steering Committee. Once a Committee was established, direct engagement began with an online survey open to the public, with invitations provided to previous Development Permit Applicants from recent years.

This information, along with input from administrations and our contracted planners with Mackenzie Municipal Services Agency (MMSA), was reviewed with the Steering Committee. Several drafts and edits were prepared throughout the process of drafting the LUB. With a first draft prepared based on Steering Committee and Council Feedback, and a first draft was presented to the Public at the Town of Falher’s Open House on June 5th, 2024. This version then passed 1st reading with Council on June 12, 2024, and a Public Hearing was held on June 26, 2024.

Public feedback at both opportunities was very much appreciated by all those working on the Land Use Bylaw. Topics brought forward were reviewed, considered, and ultimately adopted or accepted as information.

An administrative review of items from both the Open House and Public Hearing, as it relates to the Land Use Bylaw, can be found here. This item was presented to Council at their public Regular Meeting of Council on December 11, 2024. This document helped inform revisions of the Bylaw in the fall of 2024, with some minor edits occurring in early 2025.

Finally, a revised draft received final readings from Council on March 12, 2025.

 

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the LUB Refresh Process, you can visit our page that was created at the beginning of the process, to give a better understanding on the scope and key topics of the project.

LUB Refresh

Additionally, you can contact our office:

PO Box 155
011 Central Avenue S.W.
Falher, AB T0H 1M0
Office 780-837-2247
Fax 780-837-2647
cao@falher.ca

 

NEW LUB

To see the new Land Use Bylaw click here
It lives in our Bylaw and Policies section here.