More adjustments to the Official Community Plan are on the table at the next city council meeting.
A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 for council to receive oral feedback about a proposed change to allow for residential development in the Hart.
The plan calls to develop nearly 44 hectares of the Valleyview lands - east of Dawson Road and south of Austin Road East - into a section of rural one-acre lots and an area of higher density, urban, single-family neighbourhoods.
Acting for numbered company 534170 B.C., L&M Engineering has submitted a proposal to tweak the current land use designations under the OCP to make it consistent with proposed rezoning changes.
Unlike the controversial proposed OCP amendment stemming from the Haldi Road application which makes a change affecting the entire city, this application basically amounts to a mapping change.
"It's tweaking the developable area based on topography," city planner Deanna Wasnik said.
Her Nov. 20 report to council explains that these changes are being considered to "better reflect the significant slope topography which ensures natural hazard areas are restricted from development."
Making these adjustments, which would see pieces of land switch from a neighbourhood residential and rural C to a rural resource designation, will also allow for consistency with proposed rezoning plans, Wasnik explained. The housing density proposed isn't allowed on land designated as rural resource, which would limit it to one house per 15 hectares.
The application is not without its controversy. The proposal that is currently before council is the second attempt at turning the land into a subdivision. Last summer, the proponents pulled their original application after meeting a wall of opposition from neighbours. The new plan submitted in the fall removed some contentious elements - such as joining the two legs of Monterey Road and extending Dawson Road to meet it - but still brings issues to the table.
Traffic concerns as well as the impact the development will have on local wildlife have yet to be addressed. As part of the application, planning staff are recommending that final reading be withheld until a servicing brief is prepared and a traffic-impact study carried out. Administration is also calling for a geotechnical overview to "provide confirmation that the future development of the properties will not affect the slope stability and drainage of the subject properties." The overview will also determine if the soil can accommodate sewage disposal for the intended rural residential lots.
OCP information compiled
The information collected at the Jan. 10 public meeting regarding OCP amendments stemming from the Haldi Road application will be compiled with other written comments (accepted until Jan. 21) for a report to council.
Director of planning Ian Wells said a few points raised by the Leslie Road residents' lawyer Roy Stewart were a surprise.
"It was the first we heard of some of the issues," Wells said.
In his presentation at the meeting, Stewart stressed the Northern Supportive Recovery Centre for Women would be an institution and therefore an inconsistent land use, even with an amended OCP.
"We will provide it all to council for their input," said Wells. It's then up to the mayor and councillors to review, understand and address. The report will be included when the application goes before council for a public hearing. No date has been set for when the proposal will be back in the council chambers.
