Council Highlights - May 16, 2023

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – 9 am

Phase II of Seniors' Affordable Housing on Sixth Street

Council hosted a discussion on Phase II of the seniors’ affordable housing development on 6th Street in downtown Peachland. The first phase of a partnership resulted in the construction of the Residences on 6th in 2019. The Residences provide 74 apartments for seniors and people with disabilities at an affordable rent. The Governments of Canada and British Columbia provided $6 million through the Social Infrastructure Fund and the Province also provided construction financing of $7.6 million. Peachland provided the land at 4445 6th Street and waived development cost charges. Phase II of the project would provide 73 units in a new building at 4555 6th Street with the land donated by the District.

Council was joined by members of the Peachland Seniors Support Society, a non-profit organization that was formed in 2007 to develop and provide affordable housing for seniors in Peachland, Cityscapes, a construction management consultant involved with the project and BC Housing. The discussion centred around the District’s concerns about parking and the potential impact on the neighbouring area and the planning-related costs for Peachland, including the waiving of DCCs which means the District would have to pay that waived amount. Councillors also expressed concerns about access for Peachland residents to the facility.

You can review the meeting via webcast by visiting www.peachland.ca/watch.

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING – 1 pm

Development Approvals Process Review

Council gave first three readings to Development Application Procedures Bylaw No. 2396, 2023, part of the District’s Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) project. Prompted by a province-wide DAPR process and new funding streams through UBCM to support such reviews, Peachland secured funding in August 2021 and began its review. The review is intended to clarify process requirements and help streamline the development approval process with positive provision of affordable housing and other community priorities as outlined within the Official Community Plan and other guiding documents. In May 2022, Council received the External Process Review which identified a list of recommended actions, including short, medium, and long-term action items to improve the District’s development application process. One of the short-term, grant-funded recommendations in the report is to revise Peachland’s Development Application Procedures Bylaw to reflect changes in legislation and improve process clarity. The proposed changes to Bylaw 2396 include:

• Incorporation of recent amendments to the Local Government Act to align with best practices.
• Delegation of minor development variance permits to dedicated staff, rather than Council, for approval. Revised procedures to streamline and strengthen the application intake and complete application assessment process.
• Removal of the default requirement to hold public hearings for rezoning applications.
• Delegated development permits increased. Development permits are a non-discretionary approving authority, meaning that both the local government and the applicant are bound to adhere to the established development permit guidelines in the OCP. The proposed scope of delegated development permit authority in Peachland is for:
  • Residential developments that do not exceed four units;
  • Construction of an addition to an existing building including exterior alterations to the façade;
  • Industrial developments;
  • Accessory buildings; and
  Technical Development Permits in the Environmentally Sensitive Development Permit Area and the Environmentally Hazardous Development Permit Area where only minor variances are requested.

The proposed bylaw includes additional notification requirements to the public when hearings are not held for certain applications and other considerations to protect the public’s right to be informed about development applications. Staff will incorporate Council’s recommendations into the proposed bylaw and update the guides, templates and forms required before bringing it back to Council for consideration of approval at an upcoming council meeting.

Strategic Plan

Council approved its Strategic Plan for this term which identifies five focus areas:

• Fiscal Responsibility
• Vibrant Downtown
• Infrastructure Improvements
• Good Governance
• Increase Housing Choice

Actionable items have been applied to each focus area and timelines will be applied. Council will be provided with status updates throughout the year on progress made to meet the identified goals.

Next Council Meeting

Peachland Council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, May 23, 2023 beginning at 6:00 pm. Keep informed; subscribe to get news and event information emailed directly to you at www.peachland.ca/newsletter.