Today, Sept. 17, Revelstoke City Council will hear residents’ thoughts on the proposed 59-unit residential development on Hay Rd.
The public hearing for the proposed amendments to Revelstoke’s Zoning Bylaw and Official Community Plan that will allow for the project to move forward, starts at 8 a.m.
Participants who wished to speak in-person at the meeting were required to pre-register due to COVID-19 restrictions on gathering size, however the meeting is live-streamed and can also be listened to over the phone.
Written submissions are also accepted and can be submitted until Mayor Gary Sulz closes the public hearing. It is scheduled in two sessions from 8-9:45 a.m. and from 10-11:45 a.m.
Submissions can be emailed to the attention of the Corporate Officer at publichearings@revelstoke.ca with Public Hearing Comment OCP2019-01 and ZON2019-04 in the subject line.
READ MORE: Public hearing for Hay Rd. housing project coming up, pre-registration required
READ MORE: Revelstoke prepares for first public hearing since pandemic
According to the agenda for the meeting, so far there have been over 63 letters against the development submitted to the city, along with a petition with around 55 signatures. Only 13 letters in support of the project were submitted.
The Revelstoke Review has also received at least six letters to the editor opposing the development since it was first proposed and one in favour.
READ MORE: LETTER: Densification is right, if well thought out, LETTER: Upper Arrow Heights resident urges council to deny rezoning in area, Letter: More public consultation needed before zoning amendment to allow Hay Rd. development, LETTER: Mackenzie Village residents concerned about Hay Rd. development, Letter: Hay Rd. development doesn’t consider current residents
Residents of the area, including former city councillor Steven Cross, have come together to form a coalition of citizens for responsible planning. They circulated a flyer throughout the city outlining why they believe the development should not move forward and calling on people to voice opposition at today’s meeting.
Reasons include:
- safety concerns over increased traffic and lack of sidewalks in the neighbourhood
- connectivity concerns over lack of parks and trails plan for the neighbourhood
- community cohesiveness concerns over lack of updated Official Community Plan and because of that, lack of citizen input into the development of the neighbourhood which is currently low-density
- impacts to property tax concerns over lack of updated Development Cost Charge Bylaw
The mayor made a statement with clarifications and corrections on some of the information in the pamphlet two days before the public hearing, explaining that the city cannot legally put a moratorium on approving developments, as was suggested by the coalition and that council did insist that parkland in the Hay Rd. development meet the five per cent requirement. The coalition had indicated otherwise.
READ MORE: Revelstoke mayor addresses anti-Hay Rd. development pamphlet
As the Local Government Act requires, once the public hearing is closed on Sept. 17, councillors will not hear, see or read any more information about the proposed development until they vote on the zoning and OCP amendments on Sept. 22.
The development, advertised as Stoked Living, was first proposed in June 2019. Since then the developer, working with city staff, hosted information sessions and gathered feedback on the project, which initially had three different concept plans.
READ MORE: City wants feedback on Hay Rd. development
READ MORE: Revelstoke developer asking for community feedback for Hay Rd. proposal
The final concept, which will either be approved or defeated at Sept. 22’s council meeting, features 59 units, some of which are single family homes, some duplexes and some row houses. The zoning in the area does not allow for vacation rentals and the developer is holding ten units for long term rentals. The plans claim the developer will be building passive houses at attainable prices.
The proposal has been controversial from the start. Revelstoke residents submitted a petition against the development in October 2019. The petition was submitted again as part of today’s public hearing.
READ MORE: Arrow Heights residents create petition against proposed development on Hay Rd.
All of the city council documents about the project can be found at revelstoke.ca/1853/Current-Rezoning-and-OCP-Application-Pac.
The developer’s website is stokedliving.ca.
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