Town of Raymond Special Council Meeting briefs from March 18

Posted on May 29, 2025 by admin

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

During a recent Town of Raymond Special Council Meeting Council held a Public Hearing for Bylaw No. 1147-25, which is a request to redesignate the southern portion of Lot 1, Block 1, Plan 9211847 which totals 5 Acres from “General Commercial – C-1” to “Public and Institutional – PI-1” after first reading of the bylaw was held at a special Council meeting on February 18.

After Councillor Jensen made a motion to open the meeting and the motion was carried, Tyler Nelson, Development Officer for the Town of Raymond, explained to Council that the property, which is the care center property, is zoned in two different portions, a commercially zoned portion that includes the care center, pods on the south, and buildings to the east, while the north is zoned Public and Institutional. The Town, Nelson stated, is considering zoning the southern portion of Lot 1, Block 1, Plan 9211847 which totals approximately 5 Acres, back to its historical zoning, which was Public Institutional.

“This will allow for a potential future application for a new change of use,” said Nelson.

Bylaw No. 1147-25, Nelson explained, has been mailed out for public consideration and also posted in the paper, but has received only one opposing response from resident Richard Brandley. In his letter of opposition, Brandley explained that ‘the zoning change raises concerns about potential developments that may not be in Raymond’s best interest.’

“Keeping the property commercial ensures that we do not have to contend with proposals for Addiction Recovery Centers, which could pose challenges our community is not equipped to handle,” explained Brandley’s letter. “While I fully support efforts to help those struggling with addiction, research shows that not all communities are well-suited to hosting recovery institutions. Cities with minimal drug issues tend to experience little impact when such centers are established. However, communities already facing significant drug problems—such as Raymond—often see an increase in these issues when recovery centers are introduced.”

Brandley’s letter was firm in emphasizing Brandley’s stance that changing the zoning would ‘open the door to developments that could exacerbate existing problems.’ 

“Given Raymond’s current challenges, I strongly urge the Commission to reject this rezoning proposal and maintain the property’s commercial designation,” said Brandley’s letter.

Nelson explained to Council that Brandley’s opposition is regarding the potential future use if the zoning is changed. Nelson also explained that other than Brandley, no other comments were given from residents or relevant referral agencies. Bonnie Brunner, Senior Planner at ORRSC, also had no concerns about the bylaw, Nelson explained.

Council as a whole ultimately concurred that going back to Public Institutional ‘gives the Town different opportunities’ and that Council is also doing its best to make sure the land has a good use.

Councillor Coppieters made a motion to close the public hearing. Then, Councillor Evans made a motion that Council accept second reading of Bylaw No. 1147-25 and the motion was carried. Finally, Councillor Jensen made a motion that Council accept third reading of Bylaw No. 1147-25 and the motion was carried.