The current development plan for the Pacific Spirit site cleared one more municipal hurdle Sept. 22, when Sechelt council recommended that first reading be given to bylaws allowing for the rezoning of the site.
Council also passed a recommendation that final bylaw adoption be conditional, among other things, on: a development permit that regulates building form and character plus landscaping options, a guarantee of public access to no less than half a hectare of privately-owned open space, the provision of two units of affordable housing, a covenant for tree retention and replacement, and a minimum of 100 "adaptable" units providing for future accessibility of residents.
It also hinges on a servicing agreement including: full signalization of the Teredo Street and Inlet Avenue intersection, sidewalk upgrades to Teredo and Inlet, sidewalk extension from the property to Trail Avenue, dry sewer pipe provision for Inlet, sidewalk improvements from Inlet to the corner of Cowrie Street and Wharf Road, boulevard improvement including separated bike path and seawall improvements, and a bus bay.
Tax exemptions
Council passed a recommendation to grant $459,333 in permissive tax exemptions for 2011, of which $177,905 are municipal taxes. The exemptions include 11 churches, 22 community services, and 11 "other" exemptions - including the Royal Canadian Legion, the Sunshine Coast Rod and Gun Club and Girl Guides Camp Olave. This municipal portion of the tax represents 2.8 per cent of the estimated municipal taxes to be levied in 2011 - a decrease from 4.1 per cent of forgiven municipal taxes in 2009. The decrease in the percentage is due to lower assessed values for a number of properties -notably Camp Olave.
Affordable housing
Council supported clarifications to the affordable housing policy, which shift affordable housing requirements to 20 per cent of the "lift" of rezoning applications, as opposed to a policy where an increase of even one residential unit would trigger a 10 per cent affordable housing requirement on the total number of units. A staff report noted that the clarification was triggered by a recent proposal for the Pacific Spirit site development, which demonstrated that the current policy doesn't take into account the size of the density bonus.
Business licenses
Council deferred a motion proposing a $25 increase to Sechelt business licence fees until approximately mid-October.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce president Jim Cleghorn made a delegation to council, noting that the Chamber would support such an increase, if that money is used for economic development. He added, however, that the Chamber views economic development as a responsibility of the entire community, not just local businesses, and supports further economic development funds being raised through general revenues. During discussions, council indicated it hadn't yet heard how the Sechelt Downtown Business Asso-ciation or the Coast Com-munity Builders' Asso-ciation would view an increase.
Sewage Commission
Council passed a motion asking staff to gather estimates for the cost of studying the need for future waste water treatment in the Davis Bay/Field Road/Mission Point area - and to present those estimates for consideration during 2011 budget talks.
Bow bylaw
At council Sept. 15, council adopted a bylaw prohibiting the use of guns and bows within the District. The bylaw notes a few exceptions, including: use by members of the Armed Forces of Canada executing their duties or people practising with a bow on private property, using arrows with a practice tip.
