DCC bylaw one step closer
A new bylaw that would see many of Sechelt’s development cost charges (DCCs) dramatically increase is now in the hands of the province.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of giving the bylaw three readings and forwarding it to the Inspector of Municipalities in Victoria. DCCs are used to cover the cost of infrastructure for new developments. Among the changes being proposed by Sechelt is a 108 per cent increase in the DCCs for single-family homes, bringing them up to $28,484 per lot.
Updating the DCC bylaws has been a top priority for council, and director of financial services Doug Stewart cautioned councillors that it’s not unusual for there to be a delay once a bylaw gets to the inspector for approval. Once that approval comes, council is free to vote on final adoption.
Derby Road speed concerns
Some residents of the Lower Derby Road area in West Sechelt are asking the district to do something to discourage speeding in their neighbourhood.
Nadine Coombes, a mother of three young children, appeared as a delegation at the Aug. 3 meeting to ask council to help them “reclaim their neighbourhood road” through the use of traffic calming measures and more enforcement.
Coombes said there are 21 children living in homes along Derby, and eight on nearby Bligh Road, as well as several elderly people. She told councillors that in the last couple of years more drivers have been using Derby as a through road to avoid the lights at Norwest Bay Road and Highway 101, and there’s been an increase in commercial and truck traffic.
She also presented council with a petition singed by 59 residents.
Motorcycle ban stands
Councillors have decided to stick with a ban on motorcycles along a section of the Suncoaster Trail that links Selma Park with the area near the airport via a bridge over Chapman Creek.
The Sunshine Coast Dirt Bikers association approached the district earlier this year asking for a review of the policy, saying they hoped to have the trail treated as a true multi-use trail.
Director of engineering and operations Nikii Hoglund told council Aug. 3 that, after looking into the situation, staff learned that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations does not consider the trail suitable for motorcycles, and the contractor who originally built it did not design it with motorbikes or quads in mind.
On top of that, a Municipal Insurance Asso-ciation risk assessment concluded motorcycles should not be allowed on the trail in its current form.
Hoglund also said banning motorcycles is in line with the policy for other trails in the District of Sechelt.
