Valemount Council holds public hearing on Official Community Plan, Zoning Bylaw
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Valemount Council held a public hearing before its May 27th regular meeting to discuss updates to the Village’s Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw. Mayor Owen Torgerson called the public hearing to order at 7:00 p.m.
B.C. municipalities use Official Community Plans as a long-term guiding document for land use and housing policies. According to the Local Government Act, municipalities must provide an opportunity for public feedback and hold a public hearing before making changes to their Official Community Plan.
Village Planner Krista Etty presented the amendments to Council during the public hearing. The amendments will ensure the Official Community Plan does not contradict the Village’s zoning bylaw, which is currently being updated to reflect new provincial housing legislation, according to Etty. These amendments include allowing two additional dwelling units – secondary residences on the same lot as a principal residence – on one land parcel, rather than just one additional dwelling unit. They also include allowing detached additional dwelling units to be used as short-term vacation rentals, and removing the requirement for an owner to occupy the principal residence on a property when renting out additional dwelling units.
According to Etty, Village staff did not receive any written comments on the amendments by the 12:00 p.m. deadline on May 27th.
Resident Melinda Goodell commented on the plan during the public hearing.
“Publications referring to the region of Valemount [in the plan] were about as clear as mud,” she said, referring to the notice of the public hearing which has a map of Valemount coloured in yellow and yellow-green, which she said were difficult to distinguish from one another.
Mayor Owen Torgerson thanked Goodell for her feedback. Council moved on to the public hearing for amendments to the Zoning Bylaw.
The amendments include the same updates to short-term vacation rental regulations as the Official Community Plan updates, Etty said. Additionally, the bylaw is being amended to change the minimum fence height around a property from three feet to four feet, and establishes a minimum fence height to six feet if it is around a pool. Staff did not receive written feedback on the proposed amendments by the 12:00 p.m. deadline, she added.
With no public comments on the zoning bylaw, Torgerson adjourned the public hearing at 7:12 p.m.
