An advisory planning commission (APC) could be in the cards for the Town of Gibsons.
Staff were directed at the March 20 committee of the whole meeting to prepare a bylaw for the establishment of an APC, as well as to draw up a list of possible nominees.
"What's being looked at here is simply saying, 'OK we're looking at the possibility of going this way,'" Mayor Wayne Rowe said. "The details still have to be worked out."
A discussion about the possibility of creating an APC included methods of choosing a chair, how much staff time is directed towards the effort and how to ensure it becomes a beneficial aspect of the planning process.
"If the committee is going to be at odds with council, as a developer, it's very difficult to bring forward a development and try to make the adjustments," Coun. LeeAnn Johnson suggested. "It is really important that an APC be working with good attention to staff direction."
Coun. Gerry Tretick suggested inviting residents who had served on the planning committee of old, at least as a recognition of the contributions they had made.
The possible methods of selecting a chair could include regular appointments to council.
Staff had engaged other communities to share their experiences with APCs, a rather common planning body for municipalities.
Municipal planner Michael Epp said, generally speaking, the success of an APC could depend on the level of local engagement.
Earth Hour
The Town of Gibsons will join thousands of other municipalities around the world by embracing Earth Hour on March 31.
During Earth Hour, all non-essential lighting controlled by the Town will be turned off and residents will also be invited to participate.
Last year, Earth Hour saw 5,251 municipalities join the cause across a spectrum of 135 countries.
Welcome to Gibsons
Landscaping will be installed on the west Gib-sons entrance sign, despite concerns from local business owners that it blocks the view of their own signage.
Those business owners had previously requested that they be given permission to increase the size of their signs at the Town's expense.
"They were concerned that our sign affected the visibility of their signs. It does for a few seconds when you're heading out of town, certainly when you're coming into town it doesn't," Rowe explained. "If they wanted to look at a variance for having a slightly larger sign they would have to talk to the property owner and bring that application forward for consideration."
