In a regular council meeting last Thursday, Lacombe County councillors agreed upon the amendment the Town of Sylvan Lake had previously proposed for the Sylvan Lake Municipal Development Plan.
Included in the amendment is a 30-meter setback from the lake; this is meant to help protect and provide public access to the lake.
The setback is meant to act as a buffer between the lake and any action that may take place near the lake in the future, such as development or lawn and plant fertilizing, said Lacombe County commissioner Terry Hager.
Lacombe County had appealed to Sylvan Lake regarding the Municipal Development Plan months ago with changes agreeable for both municipalities. The Town of Sylvan Lake is now in the process of making the changes.
Hager said implementing the 30-meter setback will help the lake, and is in line with what the county had put in the Area Structure Plan for around Sylvan Lake.
Due to the amendments, future development planning may proceed differently to honour the 30-meter setback, Hager said.
The amendments will not affect current or existing developments in the town.
“(We’re) hoping that (the 30-meter setback) serves as a small buffer to minimize any contaminants that might get into the lake, and that it provides key public access points to the lake,” Hager said. “It’s about making sure that people have access to the lake and environmental protection of the lake as well.”