Greenecourt housing agreement
Sechelt council gave three readings to a housing agreement with the Lions Housing Society at the March 20 meeting.
The Lions are redeveloping the Greenecourt complex and recently received more than $10 million in funding from BC Housing.
Entering into a housing agreement with the district is one of the conditions of the rezoning needed to go ahead with the proposed new building.
The agreement will ensure 75 of the new units remain “seniors rental housing” and that 70 per cent of those units are “geared to below market incomes and rents.”
The agreement also gives the Lions Housing Society a break on the requirement to pay for off-site servicing improvements and Development Cost Charges, amounting to an estimated $710,000.
The existing buildings at Greenecourt qualify for a partial property tax exemption because of the Lions Housing Society’s non-profit status, and a report from the planning depart said it expects the new building will also qualify. Final decisions on permissive property tax exemptions are made by council each fall.
The housing agreement will likely come back to council for final adoption in early April, allowing the Lions to meet their target of starting construction this summer.
At a March 13 event announcing confirmation of the provincial funding, the Lions said there are already more than 250 people on the waiting list for a unit.
Sign Bylaw
The new, high-visibility house number signs the Rotary Club is offering for sale are now officially legal in Sechelt.
At the Rotary Club’s request, council agreed to revise the section of the sign bylaw that said, “Signs shall not be covered by ‘Day-Glo,’ fluorescent, luminous or reflective paint or similar products.”
Council unanimously adopted an amendment to the bylaw at the March 20 meeting that adds a “notwithstanding clause,” exempting address number signage, as long as the copy on the sign is limited to a house number and the sign is no bigger than 0.3 sq. metre.
First responders on the Coast have come out in support of the Rotary initiative, saying that the easier it is for police, firefighters or ambulance crews to see a house number, the faster they’ll be able to respond to emergencies.
