An appeal has thrown a hurdle in the Whiteside Hutterian Brethren’s quest to construct a new colony four miles east of Stettler.
County of Stettler’s municipal planning commission approved an application by the colony to construct clustered farm dwellings on the east half of Section 12, Township Road 39, Range Road 19, said Johan Vanderbank, director of planning and development.
The application included eight buildings of four units each, for a total of 32 farm dwellings.
Vanderbank said the application met the criteria of the municipal development plan. He said it also satisfied a guiding principle of the county’s vision statement to protect and support agricultural uses.
Adjacent landowners were notified of the intention of the applicant and one appellant has appealed the approval of the application, Vanderbank said.
A Feb. 28 hearing has been set for the case to be brought before the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
Vanderbank said the approval of any confined feeding operations (CFOs) is not under county jurisdiction, but rather under NRCB (Natural Resources Conservation Board) rule.
He said the application site is outside the CFO exclusion zone with the Town of Stettler.