District of Sechelt staff will prepare a report to explain why the district imposed stiff adaptable housing demands on an 18-lot subdivision proposed for the Claytons Family Lands site.
The district stipulated that all single-family residences in the subdivision (Phase 2A of Clayton Family Lands) be equipped with adaptable designs, which is “unusual and without precedent,” and “not reasonable or fair,” according to development consultant Ray Parfitt, who brought the issue to a Dec. 7 planning and community development committee meeting.
He said the district adopted adaptable building guidelines in 2007, but “never adopted a policy on how to implement the guidelines,” and noted similar developments have been asked to make just five to 10 per cent of homes adaptable.
“The range of provisions in the [adaptable building] guidelines include such features as back wall re-enforcement for grab bars, lower electrical switches, lower counter heights, wider halls, wider bathrooms to accommodate wheelchairs, and ramps or grading to accommodate wheelchair access,” Parfitt said.
“We’ve discussed the imposition of this requirement [to make all homes adaptable] with staff in numerous meetings and have had no resolution to date.”
Parfitt proposed designating five to 10 per cent of the homes in Phase 2A of the Clayton Family Lands development as adaptable instead – “in other words one to two lots” – and asked the committee to recommend that course of action to council.
Committee members were unwilling to make a recommendation to council without first receiving a staff report on the situation, which caused some concern for Parfitt.
Currently Phase 2A of the Clayton Family Lands development is sitting at third reading and waiting for a staff report would delay fourth reading and final adoption of the plan.
“Going back to staff and coming back to council could take us conceivably into the end of January or February,” Parfitt said.
Coun. Darnelda Siegers agreed it would hold up final reading but said council needed the information in the staff report to make a proper decision.
“Staff came forward with this recommendation [to make all homes adaptable in Phase 2A] to council for a reason and as a council, we can not make a decision to change that without hearing their reasoning behind that,” Siegers said.
“So I’m sorry for the time that’s going to be delayed, but I think that’s what we need to do.”
Other committee members agreed and they all supported a motion to send the issue back to staff for a report to explain how adaptable guidelines are being applied across the district. The report will also speak to whether making any changes at third reading would necessitate another public hearing for Phase 2A of the Clayton Family Lands development. It will come to a future council meeting.
