Outcome
On September 16, 2025, Rocky View County Council adopted a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP), a roadmap that will guide how the County grows and develops over the next 20 years.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their input on the MDP. Your feedback has played a critical role in helping develop the MDP and ensure it reflects a broad range of perspectives.
The newly-approved MDP replaces the previous plan, referred to as the 'County Plan', and introduces a forward-looking, community-specific approach to development. The plan sets out clear objectives and policies governing land use, infrastructure, services, and environmental stewardship, all grounded in public feedback and best planning practices.
The new MDP sets a clear direction for the future, built around five goals:
- Focused growth & effective services
- Celebrating our diverse communities
- Supporting agriculture
- Protecting land & water
- Growing our business community
The new Municipal Development Plan Bylaw came into effect on September 30, 2025.
Next Steps
The next step is presenting the Implementation and Monitoring Guide to Council by Q1 2026. This guide will outline how the MDP will deliver on key action items and set up a tracking and reporting process to ensure the plan’s vision and goals are achieved over the next 20 years.
About
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is Rocky View County’s highest-order statutory plan, setting a 20-year vision for growth and development across the County. It establishes objectives and policies to guide decision-making on future land use, infrastructure, municipal services, environmental stewardship, and other aspects of growth.
In Alberta, the Municipal Government Act requires every municipality to adopt an MDP. Rocky View County’s MDP is a County-wide plan that provides direction and guidance to more detailed policy documents such as Area Structure Plans, Conceptual Schemes, Master Site Development Plans, and the Land Use Bylaw.
On December 13, 2022, Council approved the MDP Review Project Terms of Reference and directed Administration to undertake a full rewrite and replacement of the County Plan (the previous MDP).
The project included four phases:
On September 16, 2025, Council approved the new MDP, which came into effect on September 30, 2025, marking the conclusion of Phase 3.
The project now moves into Phase 4, which includes the creation of the Implementation and Monitoring Guide. This guide will outline how the MDP’s key action items will be carried out and establish a consistent monitoring process to ensure the plan’s vision and goals are achieved over the next 20 years.
Thank you for your feedback.
FAQ and Additional Resources
FAQ
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is a statutory plan (legal document) within Alberta’s planning framework and therefore must align with provincial legislation including the Municipal Government Act and the Land Stewardship Act. It must also align with higher order statutory plans such as the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. It outlines the overall vision for a municipality’s future growth from a planning and development perspective and guides how and where the municipality will grow. The new plan will replace the existing MDP, known as the County Plan, which was first adopted in 2013.
On December 13, 2022, Council approved the MDP Review Project Terms of Reference, which provided direction to conduct a full rewrite of the County Plan (current MDP). A comprehensive rewrite of the document was seen as an opportunity to align the County’s vision and future growth strategy with Council’s strategic goals, and the current vision, values, and priorities of County residents.
The last comprehensive update to the MDP occurred in 2013, with adoption of the County Plan. Over this time, our community vision and values have evolved, highlighting the need for an MDP that better aligns with our shifting context. Additionally, the concept of Distinct Areas is being explored to capture the unique identities of our diverse communities. This approach aims to guide future growth in a way that celebrates local lifestyle and character while fostering sustainable development across the County.
By updating the MDP, we ensure it remains a robust framework for managing growth, enhancing quality of life, and shaping a prosperous future for all residents.
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) provides broad, high-level policy direction that serves as a roadmap to achieving thoughtful growth across the County. In Rocky View County, the MDP also guides and regulates land use and planning decisions in rural areas (i.e., lands without an approved ASP).
The MDP is a statutory plan that informs lower order plans including all Area Structure Plans (ASPs), and non-statutory plans that guide land use decisions, infrastructure investments, and the provision of community services. It serves as an important decision-making tool for Council, County Administration, and interested parties. Therefore, any updates to the MDP will have a meaningful impact on the future of your community.
Your input on the plan is important to ensure the updated MDP reflects the values, goals, and priorities of the people who live and do business in communities across the County.
Through the Municipal Government Act (MGA), the provincial government requires all municipalities to adopt a Municipal Development Plan (MDP) to guide long-range planning and land use. The MDP is required to address future growth and development in the municipality, the provision of required transportation systems, and the provision of municipal services. The MDP may also address environmental matters, the coordination of municipal programs, or economic development of the municipality.
In 2021, Rocky View County submitted an updated Municipal Development Plan (MDP) to the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) for review and approval, as required under the Regional Evaluation Framework (REF). The CMRB refused the proposed MDP, citing a lack of cooperation between the County and its regional partners, and the plan’s failure to align with the CMRB Interim Growth Plan.
During the previous MDP update project, Rocky View County held several open houses and engagement events, and the findings remain valuable for the current MDP Review project. The County has validated the input previously gathered to ensure the relevant themes and ideas have been carried forward where appropriate.
Additional Resources
Engagement Stage 1
During Stage 1 (Q4 2023 - Q1 2024), residents and interested parties were able to get involved and provide their input using the project website, as well as through various in-person engagement opportunities, including open houses, coffee chats, and industry/agency workshops. Stage 1 of engagement focused on:
- Raising awareness of the overall project;
- Validating the community vision, values, and priorities that were identified through previous MDP engagement (2019 - 2020);
- Gathering input on the distinct areas throughout the County; and
- Hearing ideas and feedback on new and existing County-wide policy areas.
There were approximately 275 respondents to the online surveys and in-person events with over 1,000 individual comments collected by the project team. The Stage 1 Engagement Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of how engagement was conducted, who we heard from, what we heard, and how feedback will be used.
Engagement Stage 2
During Stage 2 Engagement, residents and interested parties were able to get involved and provide their input using the online project website, as well as through various in-person engagement opportunities including open houses, workshops, and scheduled coffee chats with the project team. Stage 2 Engagement focused on:
- Confirmation of the draft Distinct Area Profiles developed by the project team;
- Initial input on agricultural land use policies and policy concepts; and
- Follow-up questions on a few County-wide policy areas identified in Stage 1 Engagement.
Approximately 298 respondents participated in the online surveys and in-person events, with over 420 individual comments collected by the project team. The Stage 2 Engagement Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of how engagement was conducted, who we heard from, what we heard, and how feedback will be used.
Engagement Stage 3
During Stage 3 Engagement, residents and interested parties were able to get involved and provide their input using the online project website, as well as through various in-person engagement opportunities including open houses, workshops, and “schedule a planner” meetings. Stage 3 Engagement focused on:
- Key changes from the current MDP (the County Plan) and the draft MDP;
- Validating the approaches in sections that received the most interest in earlier stages of engagement;
- Measuring the level of support for the approaches to Managing Growth, Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Development, and Institutional and Community Uses; and
- Obtaining feedback on the draft MDP overall.
Approximately 140 respondents participated in the online survey, contributing 466 individual survey comments, and 187 individuals attended open house events. The Stage 3 Engagement Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of how engagement was conducted, who we heard from, what we heard, and how feedback will be used.
