Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors have agreed to to extend the timeline on the contentious purchase of a property to expand the Salmon Arm Landfill.
At an in-camera session on Oct. 19, Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors approved an amendment to extend the timeline on the purchase of a 20-acre property owned by Mounce Construction Ltd. from the original closing date of Jan. 31, 2018 to June. 30 2018.
At an earlier in-camera meeting on July 20, the board had approved a staff recommendation to enter into an agreement with Wayne Mounce to purchase the parcel of land located at 2750 40 Street SE, subject to the successful rezoning of the property in compliance with the City of Salmon Arm’s official community plan.
The purchase was revealed in a story in the Salmon Arm Observer after the details were released following the in-camera meeting, sparking complaints from nearby residents.
Related: Planning for landfill expansion.
Related: CSRD landfill expansion worries neighbours.
“CSRD Staff is requesting the board approve an amendment to the existing purchase agreement with Mounce Construction Ltd. to extend the timeline in order to satisfy newly understood agency approvals and the associated public consultation processes,” wrote Environmental Health team leader Ben Van Nostrand in his report considered by the board at the Oct. 19 in-camera meeting.
Although both the Salmon Arm Landfill property and the Mounce property are provincially approved landfill sites, neither properties are in compliance with the city’s zoning bylaw.
To enable the CSRD to use the Mounce property for future landfilling purposes, the property needs to be rezoned and the OCP amended accordingly.
“A key element of an OCP amendment is broad community consultation, which will also ensure relevant agency requirements have been met,” wrote Van Nostrand. “CSRD and City staff have consulted with staff at the provincial
Ministry of Environment (MOE), who have indicated that an amendment to the CSRD’s Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is also required as landfill property acquisition was not contemplated in the current plan, which was reviewed and adopted in 2014.
The ministry has indicated the CSRD should develop a proposal identifying the process it will undertake to amend its plan and the process for submission, review and approval of the updated plan.
A specialized landfill engineer and consultant have been hired to develop the proposal.
The SWMP amendment process will focus on the elements necessary to satisfy broad and sufficient consultation in order to receive the endorsement of the minister of the environment.
“A result of this new information is that the authorizations needed to satisfy a rezoning application will take longer than originally anticipated,” wrote Van Nostrand in his report. “Extending the date to June 30, 2018 will allow for the completion of all of the additional consultative and administrative requirements.”
Van Nostrand noted that Mounce Construction is agreeable to extending the acquisition date by five months.
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