The town of Bienfait is setting the stage to make growth and change as smooth, and in accordance with the laws of the land, as possible. A new upcoming community plan and zoning bylaw are in the works.
“It’s a plan for the town of Bienfait, to assist it with its growth and development over the next 25-plus years,” said the town administrator. “It can be about land development, economic development and it can address conflict in land uses.”
Broadly speaking, the upcoming plan and bylaw are intended to be all-encompassing and will entail community revitalization and preparation for population growth. The zoning bylaw is being designed to prevent any conflicts and misunderstandings, when any growth occurs in the future.
Mayor Jamie Bonokoski notes that there aren’t any particular plans, as far as growth is concerned, for Bienfait at the moment. The plan and bylaw are being drafted to prepare the town for any future changes or growth situations in coming years.
“(The community plan and zoning bylaw) are basically a series of adjustments to make sure things go through smoothly with developments,” said Bonokoski. “There are a bunch of communities going ahead with this, and we decided we have to redo some of our bylaws to match up with what they were doing.”
The plan and bylaw are being crafted to entail laws that protect environmentally sensitive areas in the region, by looking at commercial, industrial, residential and community service concerns.
Consultancy company Prairie Wild has been gathering data on the town for the past two years, working to complete a plan and new zoning bylaw that fits the needs of the town and the people living in it.
While this has gone on, the town has been careful to gauge the public acceptance of the plan and bylaw. The town has held a prior public consultation on the plan during its planning process, and before any of the changes are carried out, the town will hold another public meeting, scheduled for Oct. 29.
“We had the first public hearing, but nobody showed up for it. We’re still working on passing that motion. It’s got to go through so many hearings through council first,” said Bonokoski. “If anyone does have objections or anything, they need that time allotted in there, where they can come to meetings and speak up.”
Residents living in the areas the changes are expected to affect have been notified with letters, and more information is available to residents in the town office.
