A Committee of the Whole meeting happens tonight at Oak Bay municipal hall starting at 7 p.m..
Parks, Recreation, and Culture is at the top of the agenda with meeting minutes to be adopted.
The minutes involve ArtsAlive installations, program reports, an energy report for municipal buildings and a look at dog access in local parks.
The Arts Laureate and Public Art Committee are spearheading an initiative to put a significant sculpture in a “sea location” in Oak Bay. They are looking to have council endorse the location of the sculpture and to write to senior governments expressing support for the project and the locations being proposed. This process is necessary as the sculpture would be below the high tide line and therefore in the jurisdiction of the province.
Municipal staff have been asked to have a sign made recognizing the efforts of students from Margaret Jenkins School to be put up at Trafalgar Park. In the absence of a recognition policy as to when groups should be so recognized, which groups will be recognized etc., staff are asking for council input in terms of what criteria they would like to see in a Parks Volunteers Recognition Policy.
Oak Bay Fire Chief Dave Cockle is up next and will recommend to the committee of the whole that the Parks and Beaches Bylaw be amended to allow “outdoor burning appliances” on foreshores and beaches in Oak Bay between May 1 and Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m..
The committee will then address land use applications.
The first application is to construct a new single family house at 3000 Valdez Place beside Uplands Park. The applicant is proposing to remove the existing home and construct a new house, accessory building, and outdoor swimming pool.
The second is a development variance permit application to construct an accessory building and accessory structure at 3125 Uplands Road in Uplands area. The proposed cabana and accessory wall structures in the southern portion of the site require variances to roof height and building height for the accessory building to keep with the scale and size of the swimming pool, and reflect the design of the principal building. A previous cabana proposal was approved in March 2016 but was not constructed.
Next, there is a Development Variance Permit application to renovate the existing family home at 195 Sunny Lane, including changes to the upper floor, rear deck, and exterior stairs. The proposal requires a variance to the maximum roof, building, and occupiable heights, and minimum setback requirements.
Following that is a development variance permit application to construct a two storey single-family house with attached garage on a vacant lot at 2072 Neil Street. It would need to run a driveway through the lot in front of it requiring a variance to paved surfaces, and the construction of the driveway and home on the small lot is expected to impact trees. Correspondence from concerned neighbours can be viewed online.
The final land use application is to construct a storage area for small watercraft at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club at 3475 Ripon Road. This include filling a foreshore area with quarry rock, constructing concrete lock block retaining walls, capping with asphalt, regrading the existing boat yard surface for improved drainage, and constructing a boat ramp for dinghy and kayak launch.
The evening ends with Deborah Jensen, acting director of Building and Planning, presenting on BC Energy Step Code. This program, in conjunction with the BC Building Code, uses an energy modelling approach to ensure all new construction across the province is net zero energy ready by 2032. Oak Bay council is to consider whether or not to pursue implementing the Step Code in Oak Bay.
