International flavours (and not in the coffee) entered committee debate at the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) March 20. Comments about groups including “left-handed Lithuanians” and “Norwegian death-metal association” were offered by Area E Director Donna McMahon and Area F Director Kate-Louise Stamford.
Proposed rezoning of Deer Crossing: The Art Farm
Stamford’s statement was linked to her concerns about a re-zoning application for the Deer Crossing The Art Farm property on Storvold Road in Area F. The electoral services committee recommended that application go to board for consideration of second reading and the scheduling of a public hearing. In a related motion, the committee also recommended the notification area for the rezoning consideration be extended to 300 metres, to cover adjacent properties on Storvold, Cascadia Parkway and Wray Roads. Both recommendations are on tap to be considered at the March 27 board meeting.
The application asks for permission to add two residential units to the site as part of a “Smart Farm” pilot project and to add “assembly” as an allowed use on the property. Last November, the electoral services committee reviewed the application and sent it back to staff to further consider the land use change and get more details “around the kinds of activities proposed."
The updated staff report for the March 20 meeting noted permitted specific assembly-related uses are limited to: ”gatherings for visual, media, and performing arts workshops, education, training related to Indigenous knowledge, agriculture, design and culture," "performances of art, music, and storytelling” as well as “meditation, yoga and similar activities."
The current owners proposed uses of the property were not out of the range of consideration for Stamford. But as zoning runs with the land and if “assembly” zoning was approved, she expressed concerns about what might happen to the neighbourhood if the site were to be purchased by another party, perhaps the “Norwegian death-metal association."
“This group [Deer Crossing The Art Farm] have a great record … we do need this kind of connection,” Stamford said, adding that she had “concerns with assembly use and protection of neighbours and land use in the long term."
During the public question period that followed the meeting’s adjournment, two area property owners expressed concerns with allowing a wider range of uses at the site due to noise and other issues they have been experiencing.
OCP updating outreach
Staff’s Official Community Plan renewal project engagement strategy received committee support and will go to the board for potential endorsement, with Area D director Kelly Backs opposing that move.
The committee meeting started with a delegation from the Roberts Creek Official Community Plan Committee (RCOCPC) requesting that group be formally invited to all relevant workshops, meetings and discussions on the OCP renewal.
Thanked for their interest and advised by staff that RCOCPC was not officially an SCRD advisory committee, the group was encouraged to participate in the process at every opportunity. That prompted McMahon to challenge her committee counterparts and staff on getting under-represented groups involved in the OCP discussions.
She remarked that this and other SCRD engagement strategies often “assumes left-handed Lithuanians have an association” that the local government can contact and invite to comment. In the case of such small and less visible interest groups, her concern was that is likely not the case.
Director of planning Ian Hall responded that more would be coming forward on including under-represented groups in OCP renewal outreach. He noted that SCRD staff have access through relationships with partners like Vancouver Coastal Health to a variety of groups with specific interests. The practice of having staff do outreaches at events where a variety of community members attend was another way, he said, of getting a wider range of viewpoints.
To that end, Backs asked that outreach on the OCP be prepared for Earth Day celebrations in Roberts Creek. Hall responded that engagement material on that subject may not be ready by that event date of April 27, but that SCRD staff could attend and host an information table at Earth Day 2025, to share information and collect feedback on other regional initiatives.
Changes for budget 2026
At the committee of the whole meeting that followed, that group endorsed staff’s plans for next year’s financial plan development.
Community dialogue gatherings, to provide a venue to support conversations about next year’s spending plans are to be arranged before pre-budget committee discussions on Oct. 27 to 28. Fees and charges are to be reviewed Nov. 20. Round 1 budget debate is slated for Dec. 1 and 2 with Round 2 to happen Feb. 2 and 3 (2026).
If the committee’s recommendations about the coming year’s budget schedule receive board approval next month, the 2026-2030 Financial Plan Bylaw (this board's final budget) is to be scheduled for adoption by the end of February 2026.
