The County’s Municipal Development Plan, 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, and Economic Development Strategy all commit to supporting the growth and development of our hamlet communities, specifically the Hamlet of Mirror, which is Lacombe County’s largest hamlet and residential area. In past years, the County has executed various initiatives to help attract growth to the Hamlet of Mirror, including the Development Incentive Grant, and various Land Use Bylaw changes to reduce barriers to development in the hamlet.
However, it is time to look at the entire planning and development framework that applies to the Hamlet of Mirror from a holistic lens. Through this Plan update, the County will look at the Hamlet of Mirror from all possible angles to best understand the Hamlet’s current context and how the County’s policies can be leveraged as a tool to empower the Hamlet of Mirror to unleash its true potential and realize the community’s vision for the future.
In this Plan update, the County will be studying the following:
- Policy. The County’s Land Use Bylaw districts that apply to the Hamlet of Mirror contain many policies that are remnants of the former village land use bylaw, that are no longer relevant. In this Plan update, we will seek the community’s input and study the Hamlet’s existing context to determine how these policies can be improved
- Zoning. The Hamlet of Mirror has various zoning inconsistencies, where residences are often located in industrial, commercial, or recreational zoned areas and vice versa. This is again, a remnant of the former village land use bylaw. Through this Plan update, we will engage the community and study the Hamlet of Mirror’s existing context to understand how this could be improved to better support the Hamlet’s needs.
- Infrastructure. The County inherited the Hamlet of Mirror’s water and wastewater infrastructure, which included unknowns regarding the infrastructure that lies beneath the ground. In 2025, the County completed a water and wastewater infrastructure study which identified a lot of the unknowns pertaining to water and wastewater infrastructure. This information will be incorporated into the Plan when determining areas where growth should be prioritized.
