The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is an important document that outlines the vision for Rocky View County's future from a planning and development perspective and helps guide how and where the County will grow.

The MDP is a statutory plan 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 (SSRP) and the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board Growth Plan (Growth Plan).

The MDP also informs lower order statutory 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.

In 2018, the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) was established as the first provincially mandated growth management board in the Calgary region, and on August 15, 2022, the Calgary Metropolitan Region Growth Plan (Growth Plan) was adopted.

Rocky View County and all other CMRB member municipalities are required to update their Municipal Development Plans (MDPs) to align with the Growth Plan by August 15, 2025. The new plan will replace Rocky View County’s existing MDP, known as the County Plan, which was first adopted in 2013.

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.

There are several opportunities for you to provide both online and in-person feedback during the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) Review project. We are currently in Phase 2 – Draft Plan & Engagement, which is focused on gathering feedback from our community and interested parties.

To stay informed please sign up for our MDP Review project mailing list at the top of this webpage.

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.

Furthermore, the MDP must be updated into alignment the recently adopted Calgary Metropolitan Region Growth Plan (Growth Plan) by August 15, 2025.

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.

The new Municipal Development Plan is planned to be adopted before August 2025.

In 2018, the province established the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) to provide a regional planning framework for the Calgary region. The CMRB is made up of elected officials from the Calgary Metropolitan Region’s (CMR’s) eight member municipalities: Airdrie, Calgary, Chestermere, Cochrane, High River, Okotoks, Foothills County, and Rocky View County. As a regional growth management board, their mandate is to support the long-term sustainability of the CMR by:

• Ensuring environmentally responsible land-use planning, growth management and efficient use of land;
• Developing policies regarding the coordination of regional infrastructure investment and service delivery;
• Promoting the economic wellbeing and competitiveness of the Calgary Metropolitan Region; and
• Developing policies outlining how the Board shall engage the public in consultation.

On August 15, 2022, the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) adopted the Calgary Metropolitan Region Growth Plan (Growth Plan). The Growth Plan serves as a best-practice guide for achieving long-term prosperity in the Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR) and provides a roadmap for accommodating the next one million people and 600,000 jobs in the CMR.

The Growth Plan directs growth to ‘Preferred Growth Areas’ to enable the Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR) to invest more efficiently in transportation, transit, servicing, and infrastructure. The Growth Plan also allows for growth within existing area structure plans (ASPs) approved prior to the Growth Plan’s adoption. However, regionally significant amendments to existing ASPs will be subject to the Growth Plan’s policies and Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) approval.

Preferred Growth Areas identified in the Growth Plan include all Urban Municipalities, Joint Planning Areas (JPA), and Hamlet Growth Areas. The two types of Preferred Growth Areas identified within the County are JPAs and Hamlet Growth Areas. In addition to directing growth to specific areas, the Growth Plan defines Regional Placetypes that represent development forms, generally described by densities, land use mix, and connectivity. The Growth Plan includes specific density policies for the Preferred Growth Areas, and includes a proportion of Regional Placetypes that are to be planned in the future development inside and outside of the Preferred Growth Areas.

A detailed overview of the Growth Plan can be found in the MDP Review Background Report.

The Calgary Metropolitan Region Growth Plan (Growth Plan) has significant implications for growth and development in Rocky View County. Within Alberta’s statutory planning framework, the Growth Plan is a higher order plan than the County’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP), and therefore the MDP must be in alignment with the Growth Plan. Also, this means Rocky View County is now legally obligated to develop in compliance with the Growth Plan.

The Growth Plan is a key input for the MDP, providing policy direction as to where and how residential and employment growth is to occur. To align with the Growth Plan, the new MDP must focus the County’s future growth into Preferred Growth Areas and existing area structure plans (ASPs), while also meeting the appropriate densities and Regional Placetype proportions outlined in the Growth Plan.

The Growth Plan identifies two types of Preferred Growth Areas within the County:

1) Joint Planning Areas (JPAs) focus growth within portions of urban municipalities and certain adjoining rural areas that are experiencing development pressure. Rocky View County is part of two of the four JPAs in the region:

• JPA 1: City of Airdrie / Rocky View County / City of Calgary
• JPA 2: City of Chestermere / Rocky View County / City of Calgary

2) Hamlet Growth Areas are in rural areas with lower density mixed-use developments and Employment Areas. They are meant to enhance the rural character of the region by adding strategically located development nodes. Rocky View County has three Hamlet Growth Areas:

• Bragg Creek
• Harmony
• Langdon

Lands within an existing ASP may continue to develop as approved, however, and amendments to an existing ASP shall be submitted to the CMRB for review and approval through the Regional Evaluation Framework (REF).

Development of lands that are outside of a Preferred Growth Area or an existing ASP (i.e., rural areas of the County) are required to align with one of the following Regional Placetypes:

1) Rural and Country Cluster allows for two forms of country residential development: either un-clustered country residential development with a maximum density of 0.5 units/acre, or clustered development of up to 80 units with a maximum density of 3 units/acre.

2) Rural Employment Areas provide an opportunity for smaller, lower service employment outside of Preferred Growth Areas. They must be a minimum of 2km away from an urban municipality, Joint Planning Area, or other employment area. They must also be planned through an ASP.

The Growth Plan forecasts the Calgary Metropolitan Region’s (CMR) population and employment growth from 2018 to 2048. Rocky View County is expected to maintain its existing 2.5% - 3.0% annual population growth rate. This will result in a population increase of 24,960 residents by 2048, which keeps the County’s share of the CMR’s population at 3%.

Additionally, the Growth Plan forecasts 69,010 new jobs in the County by 2048. This employment growth represents 14% of the forecasted employment growth in the CMR over this 20-year period. If the forecast proves correct, then the County will see the second highest employment growth within the CMR, following Calgary (69%) and ahead of Airdrie (5%).