Plan Your County

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Plan Your County Overview Graphic

To continue growing in a way that meets the needs of our community in the long term, the County of Grande Prairie is reviewing and updating the plans, bylaws, strategies, and guidelines that shape local development.

This project began in 2023 with the initiation of a Hamlet Resiliency Strategy and a review of the current Municipal Development Plan. What we hear and learn from this process will set the stage for the Land Use Bylaw and Area Structure Plan reviews that will follow. Ultimately, this work will improve the development process, create appropriate development opportunities, and ensure the County is growing in a way that aligns with the vision that residents have for our County.

To be successful, we are asking those who live and work here to help Plan Your County. Your feedback is vital to developing plans and policies that work for the specific needs and culture of our County.

Main Components of the Plan Your County Project:

Municipal Development Plan Update (2023-25)

STATUS: Draft Under Review

The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is the primary policy document that provides long-term guidelines and policy direction for the future growth and development within the County of Grande Prairie. The MDP guides the policy direction for other planning documents, such as Area Structure Plans, and the Land Use Bylaw.

The project team has completed two phases of consultation. The first asked participants to provide feedback on the vision and goals that provide direction to the plan. The second phase of consultation asked participant about criteria for Country Residential and Rural Industrial development, as well as potential changes to the Future Land Use Concept.

The draft MDP update is available in the document library and the project team is gathering feedback. Please, attend one of the community events, or get in touch with the project team to discuss the draft.


Land Use Bylaw Review (2024-26)

STATUS: Phase 1 - Housekeeping / Administrative Updates

The County is currently reviewing the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) to improve how development applications are processed and ensure the bylaw remains practical, user-friendly, and aligned with both community needs and provincial requirements.

Phase 1 focuses on administrative and procedural updates—these changes will not affect development standards but will address items such as:

  • Aligning timelines with the Municipal Government Act

  • Enabling online application submissions

  • Clarifying definitions and improving usability

A draft of the updated administrative section is currently being prepared and will be brought to Council for consideration soon. Public consultation for this phase will include notifications, opportunities to review the draft, and a Public Hearing, as required by legislation.

More in-depth public engagement will take place in future phases that address zoning and development standards.

See Land Use Bylaw Update Phasing document for an overview of future phases.



Complete Projects:

Hamlet Resiliency Strategy (2023-24)

Click Here to View the Hamlet Resiliency Strategy

The Hamlet Resiliency Strategy is a special study looking into the needs off the County’s 9 rural hamlets: Demmitt, Goodfare, Elmworth, La Glace, Valhalla, Huallen, Dimsdale, Teepee Creek and Bezanson. Hythe, Clairmont and Wedgewood were not included because they are urban hamlets and already have specific policies in the Municipal Development Plan.

The strategy provided recommendations for land use and development policies for the rural hamlets that will inform the Municipal Development Plan update and other planning documents. The strategy also includes recommendations for a range of other initiatives such as recreation amenities, economic development and infrastructure.


Future Projects:

Area Structure Plan Reviews (2025)

These plans provide direction for long-term land use and details on the growth and development within a defined area in the County.

Educational Programs (2026)

The County will develop an educational program to help applicants navigate the new Planning Framework.

Other Planning & Development Documents (2026)

This includes a wide range of documents such as policies, non-statutory plans, and bylaws related to development in the County.


How do I get involved?

Considering how important the future of the County, our communities, growth and development is, there will be many opportunities to learn more and provide feedback both in person and online.

This page will be updated frequently with more information and upcoming opportunities to participate. If you would like to be kept informed directly through e-mail, please click the “Stay Informed” box on the right hand side.

To continue growing in a way that meets the needs of our community in the long term, the County of Grande Prairie is reviewing and updating the plans, bylaws, strategies, and guidelines that shape local development.

This project began in 2023 with the initiation of a Hamlet Resiliency Strategy and a review of the current Municipal Development Plan. What we hear and learn from this process will set the stage for the Land Use Bylaw and Area Structure Plan reviews that will follow. Ultimately, this work will improve the development process, create appropriate development opportunities, and ensure the County is growing in a way that aligns with the vision that residents have for our County.

To be successful, we are asking those who live and work here to help Plan Your County. Your feedback is vital to developing plans and policies that work for the specific needs and culture of our County.

Main Components of the Plan Your County Project:

Municipal Development Plan Update (2023-25)

STATUS: Draft Under Review

The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) is the primary policy document that provides long-term guidelines and policy direction for the future growth and development within the County of Grande Prairie. The MDP guides the policy direction for other planning documents, such as Area Structure Plans, and the Land Use Bylaw.

The project team has completed two phases of consultation. The first asked participants to provide feedback on the vision and goals that provide direction to the plan. The second phase of consultation asked participant about criteria for Country Residential and Rural Industrial development, as well as potential changes to the Future Land Use Concept.

The draft MDP update is available in the document library and the project team is gathering feedback. Please, attend one of the community events, or get in touch with the project team to discuss the draft.


Land Use Bylaw Review (2024-26)

STATUS: Phase 1 - Housekeeping / Administrative Updates

The County is currently reviewing the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) to improve how development applications are processed and ensure the bylaw remains practical, user-friendly, and aligned with both community needs and provincial requirements.

Phase 1 focuses on administrative and procedural updates—these changes will not affect development standards but will address items such as:

  • Aligning timelines with the Municipal Government Act

  • Enabling online application submissions

  • Clarifying definitions and improving usability

A draft of the updated administrative section is currently being prepared and will be brought to Council for consideration soon. Public consultation for this phase will include notifications, opportunities to review the draft, and a Public Hearing, as required by legislation.

More in-depth public engagement will take place in future phases that address zoning and development standards.

See Land Use Bylaw Update Phasing document for an overview of future phases.



Complete Projects:

Hamlet Resiliency Strategy (2023-24)

Click Here to View the Hamlet Resiliency Strategy

The Hamlet Resiliency Strategy is a special study looking into the needs off the County’s 9 rural hamlets: Demmitt, Goodfare, Elmworth, La Glace, Valhalla, Huallen, Dimsdale, Teepee Creek and Bezanson. Hythe, Clairmont and Wedgewood were not included because they are urban hamlets and already have specific policies in the Municipal Development Plan.

The strategy provided recommendations for land use and development policies for the rural hamlets that will inform the Municipal Development Plan update and other planning documents. The strategy also includes recommendations for a range of other initiatives such as recreation amenities, economic development and infrastructure.


Future Projects:

Area Structure Plan Reviews (2025)

These plans provide direction for long-term land use and details on the growth and development within a defined area in the County.

Educational Programs (2026)

The County will develop an educational program to help applicants navigate the new Planning Framework.

Other Planning & Development Documents (2026)

This includes a wide range of documents such as policies, non-statutory plans, and bylaws related to development in the County.


How do I get involved?

Considering how important the future of the County, our communities, growth and development is, there will be many opportunities to learn more and provide feedback both in person and online.

This page will be updated frequently with more information and upcoming opportunities to participate. If you would like to be kept informed directly through e-mail, please click the “Stay Informed” box on the right hand side.

  • Initial Workshops - What We Heard

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    The initial round of workshops for the Plan Your County were held during the week of April 24 with events in Bezanson, Valhalla, and La Glace. Thank you to everyone who was able to come out!

    What we heard

    We had many good conversations and received a lot of feedback. Some of the initial themes that we have heard are:

    • The value of preserving agricultural land
    • The importance of food security
    • Wanting an opportunity to purchase locally produced food

    Other comments we heard at the sessions were about improving sewage capacity, the development of housing, and the need for new residential lots while keeping the community small.

    On April 27, we also had our first student event at Teepee Creek School, which was a fun interactive experience. Students were asked to be Planners for a day and they worked on creating their own communities. 40 students participated creating eight community designs, which were displayed at the public meeting that evening.

    Upcoming opportunities

    The Plan Your County team will be in Bezanson, Hythe, Valhalla, and Whispering Ridge for a series of drop in Community Workshops to talk about the review of the Municipal Development Plan – the County’s high-level vision to guide growth. Here’s the schedule:

    • May 11, 5-7 PM: Bezanson at the Bezanson School
    • May 18, 5-7 PM: Hythe at the at Hythe Regional School
    • May 25, 5-7 PM: Valhalla at the Valhalla Community School
    • June 8, 5 – 6 PM: Clairmont at the Whispering Ridge Community School

    Please note, additional events may be added as required.

    What do we do with this feedback?

    Our team will take all of what we’ve heard at these events and what we continue to hear and apply them to the development of the Hamlet Resiliency Strategy and the review of the Municipal Development Plan. Understanding what residents value is an important part of knowing how and where we should grow and develop as a County.

    Don’t forget the survey!

    The first Hamlet Resiliency Strategy survey will run until May 14. Recommendations from the strategy will be used in the Municipal Development Plan review to ensure that the needs of our hamlets are reflected in the broader vision for the County. Residents are invited to complete a short survey on what you love and would like to see within the strategy’s nine hamlets. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Page last updated: 23 Jun 2025, 12:22 PM