Sechelt council is considering granting two temporary use permits to allow SSC Properties to hold events on its East Porpoise Bay site for the next three years, as long as development permits are finalized first.
Two temporary use permits, one for public assembly and one for parking and storage, were brought before members of the planning and community development committee on July 26 for endorsement.
The permits would allow up to six events per month to be held at SSC Prop-erties, each with a maximum of 1,000 attendees.
Staff also suggested council require a $3,500 bond be paid by SSC to ensure site cleanup is done once the permits expire in three years, and that SSC carry a minimum of $2 million in liability insurance.
Other suggested permit stipulations include providing a minimum of 100 parking stalls, installing a fire hydrant, constructing a “semi-permanent” access road onto the property and providing the district with a storm water management and silt control plan.
Staff also recommended that SSC provide washroom facilities for men and women, including four accessible bathrooms for those who need them.
If approved, SSC would have to notify the District of Sechelt, Vancouver Coastal Health, RCMP, BC Ambulance and the Sechelt Fire Department a minimum of 30 days before any event would take place.
Planner Aaron Thompson said the suggested stipulations were meant to “help mitigate any impacts this could have on the surrounding properties.”
He said that due to the waterfront location, the nearby riparian habitat and the geotechnical features of the SSC Properties site, development permits were needed before temporary permits could be approved.
Those development permits would cover any work in the gravel pit areas, watercourses, marine and shoreline areas and steep slopes on the 170-hectare site, which sits between Porpoise Bay Provincial Park and Sandy Hook.
Coun. Noel Muller said that when people read through the list of stipulations SSC needs to meet to get a temporary use permit, they might think it’s too much. “But looking at the numbers – this is 216 events over three years, a potential of 1,000 people at each event – for myself it seemed like this was the way to go.”
When the question was called, all were in favour of recommending council approve the temporary use permits once development permits for SSC are approved.
The recommendation was set to go to council for discussion and a vote on Aug. 2.
