Target Marine
On Oct. 19, Sechelt council deferred an application for a storage building at Target Marine Hatcheries until after they can meet in camera to discuss the legal opinion they received.
That legal opinion was that Target's development permit be considered strictly based on form and character of the building and nothing else. Some councillors were not willing to do that, however, worrying that future use of the storage building could be fish processing.
"If they get this DP [development permit], and six months later they start processing fish in this building, what would be the recourse to the District of Sechelt?" Coun. Keith Thirkell asked.
Coun. Ann Kershaw reminded him of the legal opinion.
"It doesn't matter what this building is used for. That is not to concern you whatsoever tonight," Kershaw said.
"It's form and character, and you've got to get that through your heads. If they start using it for a kindergarten we'd have to go after them with our bylaw officer, so that's a totally, totally irrelevant thing what this building will be used for. They say it's storage, it's storage."
Some slightly heated debate around how to deal with Target's application for a storage building ensued, and two failed votes were called.
One was to defer making a decision on the application until after the Nov. 19 referendum that deals with whether to allow Target to process sturgeon for caviar at their site.
Councillors Alice Lutes, Kershaw and Mayor Darren Inkster were against, while councillors Thirkell, Alice Janisch and Warren Allan were in favour. Coun. Fred Taylor was absent so the tie vote defeated the motion.
The second vote was to approve issuing the building permit to Target. Lutes, Inkster and Kershaw were in favour, while Allan, Janisch and Thirkell were opposed, causing that vote to fail in a tie.
Finally a recommendation to "defer consideration of the development permit until council can confer with legal counsel on the legal opinion received" was passed with Thirkell, Allan, Janisch and Inkster in favour and Lutes and Kershaw opposed.
Infill area one
Council passed first reading and referral to a public hearing of an official community plan (OCP) amendment to incorporate the comprehensive development plan for Special Infill Area 1 into the new OCP.
The largely undeveloped infill area is made up of 120 hectares and runs from Highway 101 on the south to Reeves Road on the north and from Derby Road and Page Road on the west to Chatelech Secondary School on the east.
Comprehensive development plans for the area call for up to 2,300 housing units, a major community park and trail and road networks linking West Sechelt to downtown Sechelt.
The public hearing will be held on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in the community meeting room at the District of Sechelt.
Sawarne Lumber
The first proposal to start building in Special Infill Area 1 will also go to public hearing Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in the community meeting room.
An amendment bylaw will have to be passed for Sawarne Lumber to proceed with their plans to build 30 lots on 9.6 hectares in the infill area.
The plan will be presented at the public hearing for feedback on Nov. 2.
Airport observatory
Michael Bradley of the Astronomical Society of Canada Sunshine Coast Centre asked council to support a plan to build an observatory site at the airport.
"We've been thinking about an observatory, dare I say dreaming about an observatory, ever since the club was founded back in 2004," Bradley said.
The District of Sechelt gave the club permission to use the airport site for star gazing earlier this year, and Bradley said the 38 active members found the spot ideal for an observatory.
He showed council basic building plans for a small square observatory building with a roll-off roof and some external telescope pads.
Council was enthusiastic about the idea but said they were concerned future development of the airport would make the site less desirable for the astronomy group.
"That has been in the back of our minds. One reason why this has been designed the way it is, is that it is removable. So if in the future we actually got to the problem where it is not possible to observe there because planes were coming in all night, we could conceivably pick it up and move it," Bradley said.
Council directed Bradley to start talking about the idea with staff to see how it could fit in with the District's expansion plans for the airport.
"But you are hearing support from council. We all want to make it work," Inkster said.
