Owners seek convent land variance

City council will examine a variance permit to allow six new waterfront properties’ homes an orientation toward Malaspina Strait.

At the city’s Tuesday, August 4 committee of the whole meeting, Thomas Knight, director of planning services, outlined the subdivision of the property on Marine Avenue, toward Grief Point, where the former Catholic convent was located.

Knight said that under the city zoning bylaw, there is a statement that no portion of an accessory building may be located in the front yard. In other words, if a single family home is constructed, the out buildings cannot be sitting in front of the house.

“The idea through the zoning bylaw is you have the uniform avenue where you have your houses and attached garages or your accessory buildings actually set back to the principal building,” Knight said. “That’s the intent of it.

“What we have here is the former convent property and they are actually looking at a six-lot subdivision. You have Malaspina Strait on one side and Marine Avenue on the other.”

Knight said the applicant has applied for relaxation of that provision.

“What they’d like to do, given that these will be some of the most desirable lots created in Powell River this year, is have the principal buildings oriented closer to the ocean. It makes sense. When you look in that area, on either of the two adjacent properties, you have the principal buildings to the rear of the property and the accessory buildings in the front of the yard.”

Knight said in actuality, Marine Avenue is considered the front yard for this subdivision.

“The request is a simple one and that is what they would like to do in all six lots is to have the ability for the accessory buildings to be built in the front yard.”

In that part of the city, a number of residences are fronting toward the ocean and the accessory buildings fronting onto Marine Avenue, as is requested in the variance permit.

“In that case, planning services has no problem recommending relaxing that provision of the zoning bylaw,” Knight said.

The recommendation read at the committee of the whole meeting is that: staff be directed to give notice in accordance with section 922 of the Local Government Act, of council’s intention to consider issuance of a development variance permit for the vacant property located on Marine Avenue, near Quesnel Street, to vary section 5.1.3 of the Zoning Bylaw 2100, 2006 to permit accessory buildings within the front yard setback.

The committee carried the recommendation and will send the matter to city council for final resolution.

Should council support this application, a notice of council’s intention to pass a resolution approving this development variance permit will be mailed to all owners/occupants within 60 metres of the subject property. Council’s final decision on whether to pass the resolution is taken after the determined time for response to the notice (10 days minimum) is complete.