The Medicine Hat & District Urban Development Industry In Action
The Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce Urban Development Industry Committee is comprised of businesses and organizations who own and invest in land for the purpose of development and/or improvement of greenfield or brownfield areas or those who are associated consultants, actively involved in the design and development process such as project managers, engineers, architects, planners and surveyors.
The UDI is an advocacy arm of the Chamber, working on behalf of industry to monitor issues and regulatory barriers for development. We bring forward policies and recommendations designed to address and resolve identified barriers or issues to ensure Medicine Hat & District provides an atmosphere that is conducive to business and sustainable community growth on a local, provincial and federal level.
During 2019-2020, the Urban Development Industry members had active dialogue on issues such as the City’s Technical Coordinating Committee processes, utility tie ins, e-permitting, building and safety codes, the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework, Intermunicipal Development Plan and Municipal Development Plan, joint use agreements, offsite levies, land use bylaws, land use planning, land sales and incentives, condo regulations and insurance along with the discussion on residential fire sprinklers and setbacks.
We also had presentations throughout the year on Land & Business Support, the City’s Technical Coordinating Committee, the City’s Municipal Development Plan, Cypress County development updates, Invest Medicine Hat objectives and an overview of Invest Medicine Hat Land Development & Real Estate portfolio. Most recently the committee was able to receive deeper insight into the Condo Property Act and the Condominium Property regulations.
Through the committee’s work, input, insight and expertise, we were able to have input into the City’s Planning and Development, along with regular discussions with Invest Medicine Hat. This has provided the development industry with an ability to bring forward issues and opportunities that impact the industry as a whole with a unified voice, providing the ability to have collective input into plans, processes and needed changes. One of the more significant developments over the year was the committee’s formulation of a policy position on Joint Use Agreements. This policy was not only endorsed locally by the Chamber of Commerce, with positive feedback from the City of Medicine Hat, but is was also then also adopted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. This position allowed us to actively advocate and correspond with the Minister of Municipal Affairs on required changes to ensure greater clarity and a more streamlined and cost-effective development process.
The UDI committee of the Chamber of Commerce advances the interests of the development industry in Medicine Hat, Redcliff and Cypress County by providing input into critical issues while earning the respect of municipal administrations. The UDI offers the opportunity for discussion of the development issues of the day while providing a unified voice.
