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1. Does Beaumont have a ban on drive-thrus?

Beaumont allows drive-thrus in all areas of the community except Centre-Ville (downtown) within the City Centre Mixed-Use District (CCMU).

2. What is the Centre-Ville District in Beaumont?

The Centre-Ville District is the historic and cultural heart of Beaumont and the urban centre of the community. Centre-Ville continues to be developed and revived with the goal of making it a major business, social, cultural and entertainment focus of the community with a distinct look and flair that reflects Beaumont’s early French roots.

3. Why would we not allow drive-thrus in the Centre-Ville District?

Development in Beaumont’s downtown is guided by the Central Area Redevelopment Plan (CARP). The CARP has been in place since 1986 and it provides a framework for encouraging and guiding development and redevelopment in the central area of Beaumont. In 2009, the CARP was updated and just this past year, further community engagement has been taking place to update and ensure there is a shared vision for the Centre-Ville District.

Our residents see the Centre-Ville District as a place where people want to gather, live, work and enjoy. As a result of the 2009 update, the CCMU was created, which explicitly discourages auto-oriented uses like drive-thrus, gas stations, car repair shops, and large surface parking lots.

4. Does Beaumont allow for drive-thrus everywhere else in the community?

Throughout the rest of the community, Beaumont does allow for drive-thru businesses in its commercially zoned areas.

Recent examples of such new developments include the new banks and restaurants located in the Gallerie and Montalet commercial developments along 50th Street heading north through Beaumont.

5. I heard Beaumont has specific rules around drive-thru speakers? What is this about?

In the Land-Use Bylaw, it stipulates that a drive-in business and a drive-in food service may have outdoor speakers provided they do not create a nuisance and are not located within 20.0m of a lot line of any parcel designated as a Residential District, or are separated from a Residential District by a building.

This specific guideline ensures that such a business does not adversely or negatively impact residents living near such businesses.

Beaumont prides itself on the quality of life we provide for residents and such a clause highlights the importance of this to our residents and businesses.

6. Beaumont is making changes to its Land Use Bylaw. With the upcoming changes to the Beaumont Land Use Bylaw are there any changes around drive-thrus being proposed?

No, there are no plans to make any specific amendments around drive-thrus in the Centre-Ville District within the updated Land Use Bylaw. Beaumont continues to work towards building a complete community and implementing the “people-first” principles that are established in our new Municipal Development Plan.

The updated Land Use Bylaw is anticipated to be brought to Council for review and first reading later this year.

7. What is the Municipal Development Plan?

A Municipal Development Plan is a statutory planning document that sets out a clear vision for our community’s future and serves as an important decision-making tool for Council, Administration and all stakeholders. It’s the primary document that guides the future development and growth for the entire community.

8. How can I ask more questions or get more information?

Please send your questions to: ourbeaumont@beaumont.ab.ca