District of Peachland Zoning Bylaw Update

District of Peachland
Zoning Bylaw Update
Stakeholder Meeting
February 20, 2013

Agenda
• Introductions
• Project Overview / Introduction to Zoning
• Linkages to OCP / Zoning Bylaw Issues
• Process and Schedule
• Facilitated Discussion
• Other Discussion (Q & A)
• Wrap-up

Project Background
• The District’s current Zoning Bylaw was adopted in 1996 and
amended several times but never comprehensively reviewed
• The District adopted a new Official Community Plan in 2001
• A Zoning Bylaw update is necessary to:
• align the Town’s zoning with the goals and intent of the District’s
corporate strategic directions, other long range planning
documents; and,
• account for emerging development trends,
• An update is also necessary to address issues that have arisen with
the current zoning regulations, and to keep it “ up to date”.

What is a Zoning Bylaw?
• Regulatory tool that controls the use of land in a municipality
• Divides land into zones and sets regulations for each zone
• Regulations typically include:
o Permitted land uses within each zone;
o Parcel size;
o Building heights;
o Setbacks from public and private streets;
o Number of buildings permitted on a lot;
o Density of dwelling units;
o Maximum lot coverage; and,
o Parking requirements.

What is a Zoning Bylaw?
• Consist of text and visuals – the text sets
the regulations and the visuals enhance
user friendliness
• Legal authority to develop and
administer zoning in British Columbia is
derived from the Local Government Act
(LGA)

What are the Benefits of Zoning?
• Helps prevent overcrowding and unsightliness of properties
• Ensures a degree of certainty for property owners and potential
purchasers of land
• Protects the environment
• Manages the impact of new development on infrastructure such as
roads, water and sewer
• Can be enforced in the event of non-compliance
• Provides residents an opportunity to get involved in community land
use decisions

Alignment with the OCP
• Adopted in 2001, the OCP serves as the higher level land use policy
document (OCP = “future cast” / Zoning = “now cast”)
• An OCP can show a different future land use designation than the
current zoning, but a re-zoning must be consistent with the OCP
land use designation
• OCP policies also provide land use direction, e.g. “…provide[s]
opportunities for a wide range of housing forms at various
densities”.
• “Reducing the energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions on a
community wide scale to minimize negative impacts on the
environment.”

Alignment with the OCP
Official
Community
Plan
Economic
Development
Strategy
Bylaws
Capital &
Financial
Planning
Subdivision &
Dev. Services
Building
Zoning
Development
Procedures

Zoning Issues
The following are some of the issues in Peachland which contributed to
the need for a Zoning Bylaw update:
Orderly Planning and Regulation of…
• Secondary suites
• Home based business regulation
• Infill development
• Hillside development
• Downtown parking
• Commercial / Industrial areas
• Parkland areas

Zoning Issues continued…
Lack of zoning provisions for:
• Sustainable energy production in residential zones (wind mills, solar
panels and geothermal heat exchange)
• Urban agriculture in residential zones (honey bees, urban chickens,
commercial sale of produce)
• Carriage homes
• Tourist accommodations
• Incorporating Peachland’s Official Community Plan direction
• Modernizing definitions and language used in the Zoning Bylaw
(e.g. mobile home VS. manufactured home)
• Issues related to user friendliness and interpretation of the Bylaw

Consultation and Engagement
• The Zoning Bylaw Update will provide Council, staff, and the
community key opportunities to review and provide input and
feedback into the process.
• Initial workshop with Council
• Focus Group session to obtain feedback from stakeholders and
community groups:
• Business / Development – developers, real estate industry,
business owners
• Citizen / Community – neighbourhood groups, former OCP
Community Committee, Planning / Development Advisory
Committee
• Two Community Open House sessions, including a survey

Schedule
• Phase 1 – Project Initiation (Fall
2012 – Winter 2013)
• Phase 2 – Technical Review
(Winter – Spring 2013), including
OCP consistency check
• Phase 3 – Draft Bylaw
Preparation (Spring 2013)
• Phase 4 – Final Zoning Bylaw
(Spring/Summer 2013), including
agency review, bylaw readings,
public hearing, and adoption

Initial Bylaw Review – Discussion?
• What’s one thing / zone / regulation do you wish we could change in
the Zoning Bylaw?
• What’s one thing / zone / regulation do think is working in the Zoning
Bylaw (e.g. parking requirements, lot coverage, setbacks)?

Zoning Issues – Discussion?
• Is the current mix of permitted land uses within each zone appropriate?
(e.g. are there any uses which do not belong in Peachland?)
• Are there a range of housing types to meet the needs of the community
(e.g. small/large lot residential, multi-family etc.)
• Do you have concerns with existing minimum setbacks requirements from
public and private streets?
• Do you have any concerns with future development within the marina /
foreshore area of Peachland?
• Are there any issues with building heights in Peachland?
• Should Peachland make provisions for alternative forms of energy in
residential areas (e.g. solar panels, wind mills etc.)?
• Do you know of any existing land use conflicts in Peachland?
• Are there any concerns with parking requirements?
• How can the bylaw be more user-friendly for you?

Questions?
Heidi Simkins, District of Peachland
E: hsimkins@peachland.ca
Stephanie Johnson, Urban Systems
E: sjohnson@urbansystems.ca
Thank You
for Your
Participation!