The Gibsons public will get a chance to weigh in next month on a proposed zoning bylaw to allow garden suites — or coach houses — on properties within the town’s designated low-density infill areas and Glassford, Cochrane and Burns roads.
Council set Oct. 7 for a public hearing on the proposed bylaw after giving an amended version second reading Tuesday night.
The amended bylaw incorporates revisions made after staff consulted with residents of Glassford, Cochrane and Burns roads to gauge the level of interest in the concept. An online survey conducted as part of the public engagement found 66 per cent support for expanding the garden suite designation to the area.
The changes were designed to ensure that garden suites remain smaller than the principal building on a property and provide view corridors, planning staff reported.
Draft development permit guidelines were also revised to specify that vehicle access should be screened from neighbours’ views and parking should not dominate a garden suite development. A landscaping plan will also be required.
In a report to council Tuesday night, director of planning Andre Boel said he had followed up on council’s request the week before to look at also including North Fletcher and Martin roads between Gibsons Way and School Road.
However, with some properties fronting on Martin and some on North Fletcher, “it’s not a very easy spot, in staff’s opinion,” Boel said, adding that consulting the residents would further delay the bylaw.
Council agreed with Boel’s recommendation to leave those two streets out of the program for now and proceed on a trial basis, including areas already identified in the official community plan (OCP) or areas where laneway access is available.
Garden suites — a detached home behind the main house on the property but not subdivided — were identified in the OCP as supportable for future neighbourhoods in Upper Gibsons and Gospel Rock and existing neighbourhoods in the harbour area and Creekside/Hillcrest.
The public hearing will be held at the Town Hall and starts at 6:30 p.m.
