Council Meeting - March 24, 2015

Alternate Approval Process for Municipal Reclassification
Council directed staff to proceed with an Alternate Approval Process (AAP) to receive assent of the electors regarding the potential reclassification of West Kelowna from a District Municipality to a City. If an eligible elector is opposed to the municipal designation change they must complete the approved Elector Response Form and submit to Municipal Hall no later than 4:00 p.m. on May 11, 2015 with an original signature. Beginning April 1, Elector Response Forms will be available on the municipal website at www.districtofwestkelowna.ca or at West Kelowna Municipal Hall at 2760 Cameron Road, West Kelowna, BC V1Z 2T6 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Good Friday, April 3 and Easter Monday, April 6, 2015. If 10% (2,306) of the municipality’s 23,060 eligible electors oppose, a report will be provided to Council outlining available options for their consideration.

New Fire Chief Appointed
Council officially appointed Jason Brolund and welcomed him to his position as Chief of West Kelowna Fire Rescue. Brolund brings over 19 years of firefighting experience to the role. Brolund is an Adjunct Instructor for the Justice Institute of British Columbia. He has served as deputy fire chief, firefighter, first responder, fire inspector and dispatcher at the Kelowna Fire Department; and, he worked as a paramedic for the BC Ambulance Service. He holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Technology with a major in Emergency Management, a Fire Service Leadership Diploma, and a Computer Information Systems Diploma.

Transit Fare Increases
Council approved transit fare increases, effective September 1, 2015, for Conventional and Custom Transit and September 1, 2016 for UPASS. The last increases occurred in 2012. Rates will be:
1.    $2.50 for a standard fare—a 25 cent increase in the Adult/College rate and a 50 cent increase in Senior and Student rates
2.    $22.50 for a 10-Ticket Adult and College Booklet—an increase of $2
3.    $20.50 for a 10-Ticket Senior and Student Booklet—an increase of $2.25
4.    $6.50 for a Day Pass—a 50 cent increase over the previous Adult Day Pass and $1 more than the former Senior and Student Day Passes
5.    $70 for an Adult Monthly Pass—an increase of $10
6.    $45 for a Senior Monthly Pass—a $3 increase
7.    $45 for a Student Monthly Pass—a $7 increase
8.    $55 for a College Monthly Pass—a $7 increase
9.    $70 for the UPASS—a $10 increase, subject to approval by UBCO’s students and Board of Governors
10.  $2.25 for the standard HandyDART fare and $75 for the Monthly Pass—increases of 25 cents and $8 respectively
11.  No charge for children under five

Carriage House Study Update
Council received information on the two-month long community consultation process, which was conducted from the end of December through the middle of February, to obtain feedback on whether or not carriage houses should be permitted in West Kelowna. The consultation included information booths at Save-On Foods and West Kelowna Warriors games and open houses at Westbank Lions Community Hall and Mar Jok Elementary School. Three hundred and fifty responses were received and 70% of respondents felt that carriage houses should be permitted in urban areas; and, 60% believed they should be permitted on lots of 550 square metres or larger. Staff will conduct a detailed technical review of the feedback and look at options for moving forward, which would include second reading of the necessary Zoning Bylaw Amendments and a Public Hearing, followed by third reading, consideration of adoption and implementation, if approved.

Tuscany Drive Development
Council approved a Development Permit to allow construction of an 82-unit, two to three storey townhouse project on Tuscany Drive in the vicinity of Shannon Lake Golf Course. The original development permit, issued in 2007, envisioned the construction of a five storey, 110-unit apartment building and additional multifamily units. The applicant is proposing a visually appealing design, and a landscape plan that complements the surrounding natural areas and incorporates outdoor amenity space.

Thacker Drive Subdivision Application
Council gave first and second readings to a Zoning Bylaw amendment to rezone a 1.84 hectare parcel at 2605 Thacker Drive from Rural Residential Small Parcel to Single Detached Residential to allow for a future single family residential subdivision. An Official Community Plan amendment would not be required since the proposal is in keeping with the envisioned use in the plan. The bylaw amendment will next be scheduled for public hearing, prior to third reading and Council consideration of adoption.

Benedick Road Subdivision Application
Council deferred first and second readings of Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw Amendments to obtain additional information on an application to rezone a 6.1 hectare property at 2796 Benedick Road from Rural Residential Large Parcel to Single Detached Residential and Rural Residential Small Parcel; and, to amend the land use designation from Resource, Park and Natural Areas to Single Family Residential. The application proposes that the 6.1 hectare parcel be subdivided into 37 single family residential lots and one large rural residential lot.

Hillside Development Guidelines and Soil Removal Bylaw Reviews
Council directed staff to bring forward a report outlining timelines and impacts on Strategic Priorities for conducting reviews of the Hillside Development Guidelines and Soil Removal Bylaw in 2015.

Notices of Motion Related to a Baby Friendly Policy
Mayor Doug Findlater provided Council with notice, stating that, at the April 14, 2015 meeting, he would bring forward two motions. The first would be that Council direct staff to provide a report on the cost, if any, and implications of implementing a Baby Friendly Policy for the District of West Kelowna. The second related motion would be that Council direct staff to draft a policy outlining a procedure for dealing with requests for Council participation in programs developed by outside agencies, including financial and staffing impacts on the District of West Kelowna.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015