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White Rock zoning review to examine opportunities

Public input sought through digital open house, web platform
26755467_web1_201126-PAN-FilePhotos-WhiteRockCityHall_1
The City of White Rock is seeking input on its zoning bylaw review. (File photo)

White Rock’s current review of its zoning bylaw could include such topics as providing more secondary suites and additional space for tree planting in the city.

A media release asking the public for input notes that – while the review is intended to address such things as “clarity of standards and ease of interpretation” – it could also explore adding additional scope to existing rules.

According to the release, this could include “more opportunities for secondary suites and coach homes”, increased supply requirements for electric vehicles in multi-family developments, additional spaces for tree planting and natural landscaping, plus new requirements for multi-unit residential parking and short-term bicycle parking.

Other features could include rules requiring more private amenity space in multi-family development, a “more compatible scale of housing” in mature neighbourhoods, alignment of the zoning bylaw with recent changes to building heights in the CR-3 and CR-4 zones in the Official Community Plan, and “improved functionality” of loading space design.

“City council is committed to engaging with the community and using that valuable input to update our existing zoning bylaw to align with the city’s newly updated Official Community Plan,” Mayor Darryl Walker said in the release.

“We are using input from residents and staff to create an updated zoning bylaw to implement best practices in the areas of planning, sustainability, and accessibility,” he added.

The public is being invited to attend a digital open house Oct. 27, 5:30 to 7 p.m., hosted through the Microsoft Teams platform, which will present working amendments to the bylaw plus a brief presentation by planning staff.

The event will also include a question and answer period, plus a digital feedback form to allow participants to provide input.

The city’s TalkWhiteRock web platform (talkwhiterock.ca/zoning) provides a summary of key proposed changes to major zoning regulation categories plus a question-and-answer tool through which the public can receive responses from city staff.

Staff will compile comments received from the community through all engagement opportunities, the release says, and make final edits to the bylaw before presenting the material to the city’s Land Use and Planning Committee.

At that point staff will recommend that council give the amendment bylaw first and second reading, which will be followed by a formal public hearing.

Final adoption of the zoning amendment bylaw will be dependent on the feedback received during the public hearing and direction from council, the release states.



alex.browne@peacearchnews.com

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