A Powell River Regional District rural director has said he will vote against the official community plan (OCP) for areas south of town at every opportunity.
Stan Gisborne, Electoral Area B director, attempted, at the June planning committee meeting, to have a policy from the 1993 OCP for Electoral Areas B and C included in the new plan.
The draft OCP received first and second readings at the May regional board meeting. Gisborne was absent from that board meeting, but his alternate, Ted Belyea, voted in opposition to the motion to pass the initial readings.
The policy Gisborne wants included in the draft OCP states, “As far as lies within the powers of the regional district, all existing uses will be acknowledged through an appropriate designation in any future land use regulations.” In order for that policy to be included in the draft, the board would have to rescind first and second readings. Gisborne made a motion to recommend that to the board and Colin Palmer, Electoral Area C director and board chair, seconded the motion.
Gisborne said the problem was that there are numerous businesses on property not designated for their operations, which haven’t been recognized in the draft plan. “The designations are inappropriate for so many properties,” he said. He also said that many people don’t realize the policy is not included in the draft plan.
The 1993 OCP was not implemented through zoning, which has resulted in numerous non-conforming uses. How to deal with these non-conforming uses has been a contentious issue since the regional district began its review of the OCP in 2008.
Because the regional district does not have zoning bylaws in Areas B or C, businesses can legally establish operations on any piece of property and the regional district can do nothing about those situations when they occur.
Electoral Area A Director Patrick Brabazon and Texada Island Director Dave Murphy voted in opposition to Gisborne’s motion. Brabazon argued that there was no point in having land use regulations if existing uses that did not conform to designations were accepted “review after review.”
Don Turner, regional district senior planner, agreed with Brabazon. “Why have an OCP if you are simply going to recognize existing uses?” he asked. “You’d be better off eliminating the OCP and let development occur where it will.”
Gisborne contended that there are “dozens and dozens” of legitimate businesses operating in Areas B and C. “If this doesn’t go back in, I’ll be voting against the plan every chance I have,” he said.
Because the vote was tied, with Gisborne and Palmer in favour and Brabazon and Murphy opposed, the motion was defeated.
