Questions & Answers
What is an Area Structure Plan (ASP)?
What is proposed in the Clifton Road North ASP?
How long will the Clifton Road North ASP take?
Will there be a road connection between the Clifton Highlands and McKinley Landing neighbourhoods?
How far in the future is the road project, if the ASP is approved?
Is the road required before the developer can proceed?
What is the City doing to ensure traffic on Clifton Road is safely managed?
Will Clifton be widened to accommodate the new traffic, and will that affect my property?
What stage is the approval process at so far?
What is an Area Structure Plan (ASP)?
Area Structure Plans (ASP) provide a vital link in the planning and development process. Where an Official Community Plan (OCP) provides broad, far-reaching land use policies, objectives and mapping, an ASP takes the community planning process to the next level of detail. An ASP will describe in detail how a new neighbourhood will be developed, including items such as land use, density, parks, roads, trails, and servicing. An ASP will also provide a policy framework to guide future development within the ASP boundaries.
What is proposed in the Clifton Road North ASP?
City Council authorized the developer to prepare an ASP for a maximum of 200 dwelling units dispersed through the subject properties. The City’s Official Community Plan anticipates that these units will be single detached housing units. All indications to date suggest that no commercial or institutional uses will be needed in the ASP area.
How long will the Clifton Road North ASP take?
There is no set deadline for an ASP, as each process will be different. The Clifton Road North ASP began in earnest in early 2011, when the developer submitted an application to the City. There are two phases to the Clifton Road North ASP, with each phase requiring significant technical studies and public review.
Will there be a road connection between the Clifton Highlands and McKinley Landing neighbourhoods?
While the final decision for a road connection is left to Council, the City is recommending a full public road connection between the two neighbourhoods to advance the goals of the Official Community Plan and to improve emergency protection.
How far in the future is the road project, if the ASP is approved?
We can’t offer a firm date. Once the ASP is endorsed, the applicant has to come to the City with land use permissions (i.e.: zoning and OCP amendment applications), which can take several months to a year to complete.
Once all the planning permissions are approved, then it is up to the developer to determine exactly when the project starts. Currently we do not know during what phase of the project the link between Clifton and McKinley will be triggered.
Is the road required before the developer can proceed?
It has yet to be determined at what point in the development process the road connection will be triggered. That will depend on how the developer proposes to phase the development.
What is the City doing to ensure traffic on Clifton Road is safely managed?
A Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) will provide research and data that City staff can use for reliable predictions of what to expect in terms of traffic volumes and patterns. Safety is always the top concern with regard to roads. An In-Service Road Safety Audit is also required, and, together with the TIA, the study data will help ensure safety considerations are the priority on this connection and on Clifton Road.
Will Clifton be widened to accommodate the new traffic, and will that affect my property?
It is too early to say whether Clifton Road will be widened. The Transportation Impact Analysis and In-Service Road Safety Audit will assist in identifying road standards and any associated impacts on individual properties.
What stage is the approval process at so far?
The applicant has received authorization from Council to prepare an ASP for the area, and staff has issued a Terms of Reference. Council has also authorized a minor boundary adjustment to the ASP area and has endorsed a Public Consultation Strategy for the plan. These are the only approvals granted so far.
The applicant is nearing the completion of Phase 1 of the ASP. While awaiting completion of Phase 1, the applicant has moved to begin some of the technical studies involved in Phase 2 of the ASP. Once Phase 1 is complete, a summary report will have to be submitted for City review. Once accepted, Phase 2 can proceed in earnest.
The Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) has been submitted to the City for formal review.