A public hearing focusing on the new OCP (official community plan) for Area B left many residents dissatisfied and disappointed.
The electoral area within Powell River Regional District encompasses the land between City of Powell River’s southeast boundary and Whalen Road, stretching from the coast to the northern part of Powell Lake.
Most of the 14 residents at the meeting, held on August 13, were there for one reason—the changing land use designation of a property on Stevenson Road. The property has been home to a temporary concrete batch plant for the past few months and the new OCP will be changing the designation on the west part of the lot from residential to mixed commercial/light industrial. The eastern portion remains residential.
Laura Roddan, regional district planner, explained a policy in the existing Southern Regional District OCP, which encompasses both areas B and C, states existing land uses will be recognized in any future land use regulations. This policy is known as D5. She said the policy was “problematic” and has been changed in the draft Area B OCP. If the new plan is adopted, any future changes to land use that are not consistent with the OCP will not be protected, she said.
Yet many residents in the area are still intensely opposed to the change, and have been since the batch plant moved in.
Kim Barton-Bridges expressed her frustration near the beginning of the hearing. “Quite frankly, we’ve written letters and we’ve got petitions, and I don’t really feel like I want to put any more energy in,” she said. “There are over 20 land owners in here who have told you they didn’t want that change...and I don’t feel like we’re being properly represented.”
Though Area B Director Stan Gisborne, who chaired the public hearing, gave other examples of properties that had changed designations, many people affected by the sounds and smells of the batch plant remained unsatisfied.
“Our issues are that we don’t want noise and we don’t want pollution,” said Barton-Bridges. “We’re just being reasonable.” Many in the audience nodded in agreement.
“It just seems like a slippery slope to get something legitimized that we don’t want legitimized in our neighbourhood,” said Dave Bratseth. “If there are 10 of us who stand up here and don’t like it...and one who wants to change to light industrial, who wins out? Ten to one, or one to 10?”
Many were also dissatisfied with the conduct of Gisborne, who interrupted speakers multiple times. Barton-Bridges said the director demonstrated a lack of respect.
Roddan pointed out that because an OCP is a plan and doesn’t contain any actual regulation, it’s extremely difficult to stop inconsistent land uses. “The new plan is trying to change that scenario, but really, an OCP will never be able to stop what you’re talking about,” she explained. “The OCP is a plan, not a regulation.” Because there are no business permits or zoning in the area, the issue is between the property owner and the province, she said.
Directors discussed the public hearing and the OCP the following day at the planning committee meeting. Area A Director Patrick Brabazon pointed out that every comment made by residents was negative and they concerned two separate issues, the Stevenson Road property and the process.
Brabazon said he didn’t think the committee should send the plan to the board for third reading until both of those issues had been addressed. He also said he thought the hearing was open to challenge, because Gisborne “attempted to refute the opinions of the public six times, according to my notes. That’s simply not on.”
Texada Island Director Dave Murphy, who had previously voted in opposition to the draft OCP for Areas B and C, said he supported the Area B plan. He pointed out that because D5 had been removed, future land uses that are not consistent with the OCP will not be recognized. “The future will be in zoning,” he said.
Zoning was the only way to prevent what happened on Stevenson Road or on Traffe Road, where a community care facility was established in a residential neighbourhood, Murphy said. “The only way to do that is to move forward with this community plan as it’s changed, with the removal of D5, which we’ve done by listening to the constituents,” he said.
When the vote was taken on a motion to recommend the regional board give third reading to the plan, Brabazon alone voted in opposition to it.
The third reading is expected to be on the agenda for the August 23 regional board meeting, which will be held at 7:30 pm at Lang Bay Community Hall.
