A request for a rezoning application for six lots in Hawkview Estates will proceed to a process inviting input from neighbours, Creston Town Council decided at the January 10th general meeting.
The property’s developers have indicated an intention to construct “clustered buildings and townhouses” containing 21 units on three lots enabled by the rezoning of 718, 724, 730, 736, 742 and 806 Hawkview Drive.
Ross Beddoes, director of development services, told council that if the rezoning is approved, guidelines for the “form and character” of the proposed development would be placed in a covenant on the properties. Those guidelines, he said, would be similar to those placed on single family developments in Hawkview.
With the completion of a new Official Community Plan nearing, staff and council agreed that adding housing density to the existing development complements the OCP.
The zoning amendment bylaw was given first and second readings and area residents will be invited to comment before the rezoning process continues.
In other Town Council news:
•A 2009 resolution to allocate $10,900 annually to the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area for expenses relating to public education programs was rescinded. Future funding will be considered in annual budget discussions, beginning this year.
•Mayor Ron Toyota will attend a workshop in Castlegar about conducting effective meetings on February 9.
•Steffan Klassen, director of financial services, reported that owners of a Creston property containing a secondary suite had written to protest the addition of water and sewer charges in 2016, which doubled their costs. Klassen said he met with the owners and explained that Council has reduced the charge by half effective this year as a way to encourage secondary suites.
“I think they were happy that they had been heard and that Council had revisited the costs,” he said.
•Toyota and Coun. Joanna Wilson and Coun. Karen Unruh will represent Creston in Cranbrook’s Sam Steele Days parade on June 19.
•The 2017-2018 Corporate Strategic Plan was adopted. Town Manager Lou Varela pointed out that emergency planning is a greater focus than in previous years.
•The term of the Official Community Plan Advisory Committee was extended to April 30 so that it can meet to review the draft document prior to its submission for Council’s approval.
•Klassen recommended that local regional directors be invited to help with an annual grant to subsidize the rental rates for Prince Charles Auditorium in 2017. In recent years, Creston has budgeted $5,000 to help keep costs for local non-profit groups down.
•Coun. Jen Comer and Unruh will review a request for input from the Ministry of Education about rural education practices and funding and make recommendations if they see fit.
•A development variance permit for the reconstruction of the burned portion of Trinity United Church will go to the process inviting public input. The new construction is intended to be built on existing foundations, but those are now closer to the property line than current regulations allow without a variance.
•Fire chief Mike Moore said the Creston Fire Department responded to 65 incidents in December, including three structure fires. In 2016 his department responded to 508 calls for service, which is down by 8 per cent from 2015’s 549 total.
“The decrease in incidents (is) not directly related to one particular incident type,” he said.
