After considering close to 100 pages of public comments included on the Jan. 19 meeting agenda, council approved third reading of a zoning amendment bylaw to permit 34 townhomes on a one-hectare site on Mills Road in West Sechelt. Up to nine of those units could be allowed to include secondary suites.
Coun. Tom Lamb and Matt McLean spoke in favour of moving the rezoning to the next step. Both identified a need for more townhomes in the community as a more affordable and less maintenance-intensive form of housing.
Acknowledging that there may be other locations better suited to density increases from single to multi-family residential, McLean explained that the municipality brings forward the applications submitted by property owners. “There are ideal developments and there are the applications we get,” he said.
The lone vote opposed to granting third reading was Coun. Alton Toth. He stated that given the volume of concerns expressed by existing residents in the area, he would have preferred the developer hold further discussions with them and consider adjustment before moving forward. Toth also questioned the lack of garages and outdoor storage for the units, after staff confirmed that the townhomes would be included in the recently introduced residential three-bin solid waste collection system.
Responsibility for the next steps on the project is now in developer Westcor’s hands. Before adoption, Westcor must pay community amenity contributions of $57,500 and increase roadway sightlines and visibility as required in the projects traffic Impact assessment.
When the bylaws came forward for initial readings, the developer proposed making the project part of the province’s Affordable Home Ownership Program.
“At this point it is not clear if the developers will pursue this option with BC Housing. Council has passed a resolution that includes a contribution toward affordable housing and related amenities for the community and if the BC Housing program is confirmed we welcome further discussion,” Sechelt’s communications manager Lindsay Vickers told Coast Reporter.
Poverty Reduction Strategy next steps
Council endorsed Sechelt taking the lead for the Coast’s other local governments in applying for funding to implement the Coast’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. This work must be completed before the Union of BC Municipalities’ Feb. 11 deadline.
The strategy document, completed by the Sunshine Coast Resource Centre in July 2021, made eight recommendations. The new application would look for funds to put those recommendations into action. Included were calls to create a regional social planning council and a housing planning table, as well as implementation of the Coast’s Child Care Action Plan and communications strategy to increase awareness of poverty and to build support for action to address it.
Funding confusion
A grant application for $988,000 to help pay to extend sewer services to 26 residential properties in West Porpoise Bay was deferred to a future meeting. Coun. Toth commented that in his review of the grant program criteria, a staff proposal to use another federal funding program to help pay for the District’s part of the project costs may not be allowed. Staff were asked to outline how the estimated $1.36 million in costs would be covered when they bring the grant application back to council.
Downtown Business Improvement Area
The Sechelt Downtown Business Association’s efforts to encourage residents and tourists to shop in a warm and friendly downtown can continue until 2026. At the meeting, council approved a new bylaw funding those efforts through the collection of a tax levy from business and commercial properties in the existing business improvement area. That action followed a counter petition process where affected property owners could express their opposition and 15 per cent of eligible properties petitioned against the bylaw. The level of objections received did not reach the threshold of 50 per cent needed to defeat the bylaw.
Calls for improved policing
A lack of response to a letter from the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society dated last September was raised in follow-up correspondence received at the meeting. In both letters, council was asked to take action to address safety concerns in the area of the Society’s Inlet Road facility.
In its most recent request to council, Society board chair Jason Winkler and executive director Catherine Leach wrote, “For the past three years Sunshine Coast Community Services Society has been trying to manage a significant increase in physical violence, drug use, property damage, drug paraphernalia, encampments, fires and disruptive and unsafe behaviours on our back property. This happens throughout the workday and escalates when we are not open. Our staff do not feel safe, our participants do not feel safe, and our neighbours do not feel safe.”
Council referred the letters to the RCMP detachment commander. Noting that the Policing and Public Safety Committee at the Sunshine Coast Regional District has been disbanded, Mayor Siegers said that Sechelt will be setting up a new committee for the municipality to liaise with the RCMP once the recently posted community safety coordinator position is staffed.
