With no public hearing allowed, a long-term rental development in Sicamous will likely take a step forward at the May 8 council meeting.
The development planned for 425 Main Street will be on the agenda for first, second and third reading on Wednesday and, as per recent legislation changes to the Local Government Act, it will not be subject to a municipal public hearing.
Under Section 467 of the Act, it states that “a local government must not hold a public hearing on a proposed bylaw if the bylaw is consistent with the official community plan,” which this is.
The development will have 54 long-term rental housing units and a 3,900 square-foot commercial space, and currently sits on a property with split zoning. The proposed amendment would take the zoning from C-1 Town Centre Commercial and MUR-1 Multi-Unit Residential, and unite it to under just the C-1 designation, while also adding a site-specific regulation to allow garage and storage units.
A public notice on the district website explains “the proposed Bylaw is consistent with Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 918, 2016 which designates 425 Main Street as Town Centre… and its main purpose is to permit a residential development.”
At the April 17 meeting, the planning and development committee passed a motion to recommend council approve the development permit, and consolidate the property under the C-1 zone.
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