Lloydminster has taken the first formal step toward shaping its southwest corner for a generation, with council granting first reading to the Southwest Area Structure Plan on May 25.
The plan covers roughly 17 quarter sections bounded by Highway 16 to the north, 75th Avenue to the east, 12th Street to the south, and the County of Vermilion River to the west. It provides a long-term framework for land use, infrastructure, and community design – and administration says its lifespan could stretch 30 to 40 years.
A public hearing is scheduled for June 22 at 2 p.m. during the regular council meeting.
Planner Natasha Pidkowa presented the bylaw, noting the document was completed almost entirely without outside help.
“Aside from a few small contracted items around biophysical and desktop assessments, as well as some graphical representation, this document was completed in-house by City of Lloydminster staff,” Pidkowa said. “It challenged us to help our teams grow, but I think it was a great representation of what our own staff in-house can do.”
Councillor Jason Whiting, who moved first reading, called the moment a milestone rooted in the city’s annexation history.
“This is the start of the end of this process,” Whiting said. “Something that has been ongoing for a while, ever since annexation, and looking forward to the future of this corner of our community. It’s kind of a big deal to get first reading going.”
Whiting acknowledged the plan’s complexity while keeping its purpose simple.
“In some ways it could be looked at as overcomplicated for something that is kind of simple,” he said. “We want a good neighbourhood. We want to ensure that there’s not big industrial stuff going into a spot that’s not meant for it.”
Deputy Mayor Justin Vance, who chaired the meeting in Mayor Gerald Aalbers’ absence, credited the public engagement process.
“I think you put in a lot of effort to get it out to the public, and I think it was well received,” Vance said.
Back lanes and oil wells
The plan introduces the option of rear lane access for new homes, a departure from how most of Lloydminster’s recent residential development has been built. Councillor Michael Diachuk flagged the shift.
“That’s a bit of a departure from where we’ve been,” Diachuk said. “Most of the homes being built now, in Parkview and other places, there’s no back lanes.”
Pidkowa said the option is not a mandate.
“By no means does this require a percentage or that it must be included,” she said. “It’s just giving developers additional food for thought for additional development opportunities to consider.”
Diachuk also raised the issue of oil and gas infrastructure scattered through the study area, a reality of Lloydminster’s history that now sits inside city limits following annexation.
“Our city really in large part has grown because of the oil and gas industry,” Diachuk said. “Is that going to be a challenge in some of these areas?”
Pidkowa acknowledged it is an ongoing issue.
“The Southwest Area Structure Plan does include a significant portion of oil and gas development. That’s not new to any of us here. We addressed it through annexation and it is still a challenge we continue to work through on a daily basis,” she said.
She noted that well setbacks will depend on each well’s status at the time of development and that regulations are expected to evolve over the plan’s lifespan. Landowners most affected by oil and gas infrastructure have already been provided with Directive 79 and had direct conversations with the city about development implications.
The plan’s own documents note nine spills occurred on the annexed lands between 1984 and 2017, described as “mostly cleaned up.” Diachuk asked whether those lands were included in the study area.
“That would be included within the lands that were annexed from the County of Vermilion River,” Pidkowa confirmed.
What comes next
The area structure plan is a framework only. More detailed neighbourhood structure plans will follow for each area before any development applications can proceed.
Council also gave first reading to a companion bylaw, No. 12-2026, which removes a parcel of land from the existing Parkview Estates Area Structure Plan to avoid it being governed by two separate planning documents. That parcel is now intended to fall under the Southwest plan. A public hearing on that amendment is also set for June 22.
The June 22 public hearing will be the next formal opportunity for landowners and residents to weigh in before council considers second and third readings.
Read more: Downtown Lloydminster Revamp to start Monday