The Municipality of Jasper is looking for feedback to help inform its new town plan as well as potentially change residential density and parking policies.
Two in-person workshops were held at the Curling Lounge on Monday (April 8) to identify town values, beginning the multi-year process of creating a new town plan for Jasper.
“In my experience, when the values come from the community, they mean a lot more to the community,” said Beth Sanders, municipal director of urban design and standards. “Sure enough, my team and I could go and do it, but it doesn’t serve Jasper well. It would be what we think they are in Jasper, rather than the community saying, ‘This is what’s important to us.’”
The workshops had participants look through feedback provided by the 2025 Social Assessment Survey and identify recurring words and phrases that describe what is important to Jasper.
Some recurring themes found in the data include a sense of community, housing security and affordability.
Although acknowledging the Social Assessment Survey had limitations, such as having no demographic data, Sanders explained how the data was simply to give participants a starting point.
“They’re finding meaning out of what other Jasperites had to say,” she said. “We do want to make sure that the values in the plan reflect the values of a variety of Jasperites, and that’s probably the more important piece that whatever we come up with, that we check in with folks that are not typically heard by town council, for example.”
The second purpose of the workshop was to start looking at the housing situation in Jasper. Participants were presented with housing data and asked to provide their immediate impressions.
Sanders said the town plan and housing density/parking restrictions were separate but related topics.
“The first bit about the values is important so that when we talk about density and parking, we can do that while also embodying the values we say are important to us as a community,” she added.
For years, Jasper has faced a chronic housing shortage that has only been exacerbated by the wildfire, which destroyed over 800 housing units.
Jasper is targeting 240 net new housing units over the pre-wildfire count, which administration says is possible should the initiatives outlined in the Housing Action Plan be fully implemented.
These actions include a land-use policy review to remove barriers to densification and amending parking requirements to incentivize development.
Last fall, the land-use policy was updated to loosen density restrictions and parking requirements. Although this was done quickly so leaseholders could begin their rebuilding plans, Sanders said council could potentially change the policy again once the municipality gets land-use authority.
She added how Jasper already had a housing vacancy rate of zero for years pre-fire, and this was ultimately an opportunity to build back better, and the community now needed to make choices.
Engagement will continue in May and focus more on the details. In June, the municipality will check in again with the community with more tangible proposals and then bring them to council before the summer recess.
