Agriculture Master Plan

• 10:30 – 11:15 - Introduction and Visioning Exercise• 11:15 – 12:00 - Taxation Discussion - Ted Boyda – RV Chief

Assessor • 12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch• 1:00 – 2:30 - Estate & Succession Planning - Tracy

Hanson, LLP• 2:30 – 2:45 - MDP Agriculture amendments• 2:45 – 3:15 - Vision revisited • 3:15 – 3:30 - question & answer & review

Today’s Agenda:

Agriculture Master Plan: April 2010, Community Workshop Presentation

Visioning Exercise: 1) Definition of Agriculture

2) Goal of Agriculture Policies (and AMP)3) Vision creation: Definition + Goal of Plan

+ your vision for agriculture

MDP: Agricultural Policies• Stated Goal – to preserve the agricultural

land base and protect the viability of the agricultural industry in the County

• Alternate Goal – To provide opportunities for agriculture to flourish in the County through proactive agriculture development policies which support a diversified agriculture sector and include appropriate land use integration strategies.

Municipal Vision (MDP):• “That the Municipality continues to be a major

agricultural force in the region. And, although certain sectors of the Municipality have evolved from agriculturally – based communities to predominately country residential - based neighborhoods, further such erosion of the agricultural landbase is not desirable. The Municipal District of Rocky View seeks to be a fiscally balanced rural Municipality that also considers the importance of transportation and other infrastructure servicing, environmental, and quality of life issues in its decision-making.”

County Vision (Growth Management Strategy)• The land use vision in the Growth Management

Strategy supports substantial nodal growth and a targeted development footprint associated with increased residential and business development in focused areas of the County. However, Rocky View’s overall land base will remain predominantly rural and recent fragmentation and speculative pressures on agricultural land will be diminished through the improved definition of future development areas.

County Vision (GMS continued)

• … higher densities of traditional rural housing and more urbanized housing forms will moderate impacts on RV’s development footprint and reduce the conversion of undeveloped lands.

• Growth management is designed to limit sprawl, create liveable communities, conserve agricultural land, promote Rocky View’s character, and protect open spaces and the natural landscape.

Agriculture Master Plan: Vision• Rocky View is a community where

agriculture is valued and respected. The agriculture sector continues to be a major economic force; however, it has been diversified to account for changing trends in the industry.

Agriculture Master Plan: Vision expanded• …

Role of Focus Group:

• Participatory• Provide specialized information • Community liaisons• Create interest in plan• No official “approval” role