The city is tweaking a series of zoning rules to bring them more in line with the Official Community Plan.
Planning staff are introducing what are being called housekeeping amendments at city council tonight to make the bylaws "easier to interpret, implement and enforce."
According to a report brought by planning team lead Deanna Wasnik, housekeeping amendments occur between comprehensive zoning bylaw reviews.
"Due to the dynamic state of cities, the zoning bylaw periodically requires amendments to respond to current conditions, trends and long-term goals of an area," the report said.
In this instance, four sections are being updated, the most extensively being the definition of major and minor community care facilities to bring them into line with the group sizes allowed under provincial legislation and the OCP objectives to "promote social development as a measure of sustainability."
In order to accommodate a new category of childcare created after the implementation of all-day kindergarten, the planning department is proposing increasing the number of persons allowed in community care facilities.
This would double those permitted in a community care facility, minor - bringing the amount to 12 - and bump up the designation for community care facility, major, to allow for a daycare to bring in 13 persons or more.
"The department does not anticipate any negative land use impacts, such as traffic and noise, to arise as a result of the marginal increase to the number of persons permitted under community care facility, minor," the report says.
City planners also want to change allowable floor area of secondary suites and remove the requirement for a landowner to live in the principal or secondary suite.
Currently, secondary suites aren't allowed to be larger than 75 square metres or 40 per cent of the total floor area of the principal building - whichever is smaller. The amendment would bump that area to 90 square metres to provide more flexibility for accessible features to allow residents to age in place.
The second change would allow both the principal and secondary units to be rental properties.
"There is no significant evidence to suggest that a land-owner living on-site results in a better-maintained property," said the report. "Further, requiring the owner to live on-site is not easily enforced by Bylaw Services, making it difficult to bring secondary suites into total compliance with the Zoning Bylaw."
The department is also proposing fixing a type in the bylaw dealing with outdoor storage and increasing the maximum lot area for properties zoned local commercial.
Minimal agenda
Tonight's meeting is not expected to be a lengthy one. Last week, council voted to push the meeting start time to 7 p.m.
Also on the agenda is a public hearing to address an application by Original Joe's to change the hours of service in their liquor licence.
The Domano Boulevard restaurant is moving towards staying open an extra hour until 1 a.m. and want to have their alcohol service available for that additional hour to coincide with their hours of food service.
Council will also receive a brand new set of downtown development permit area guidelines for their consideration. The document is intended to steer the "form and character of development by encouraging high-quality design strategies and approaches that contribute to downtown's identity and sense of place."
