Land Use amendment application for Altea Holdings, located at 33870 Hwy 97, Rural Oliver, Electoral Area ‘C’
Administrative Recommendation:
THAT Bylaw No. 2452.09, 2012, Electoral Area ‘C’ Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw, and Bylaw No. 2453.15, 2012, Electoral Area ‘C’ Zoning Amendment Bylaw be read for a first and second time and forwarded to a public hearing.
Purpose: To amend the OCP and Zoning Bylaws for the subject property from Folio: C05420.020 Industrial to Commercial. Existing Zone: Industrial (Light) One Proposed Zone: General Commercial Owner(s): Altea Holdings One (C1) Existing OCP: Industrial Proposed OCP: Commercial Agent:
Site Context:
The subject property is approximately 2530 m2 in size and is situated approximately 185 m south of the Town of Oliver’s boundary on the west side of Highway 97. Location of Alberto’s Decorating and Underfoot Flooring.
Adjacent land use is characterized by a mix of commercial developments along Highway 97: to the south is a Commercial Tourist zone with a motel and RV pads, to the north there is Commercial zone, adjacent parcels to the west are Industrial. There are also Low Density Residential and Agricultural uses in the near vicinity.
The subject property is within the Oliver community water system and on a private septic system. It is within the Town of Oliver’s’ fire district.
Proposed Development:
To amend the OCP and Zoning designations on the subject property to allow for commercial uses. Specifically to amend the OCP from Industrial to Commercial and the Zoning from Industrial (Light) One (I1) to General Commercial One (C1). The owner also proposes to construct a canopy over the southern side of the existing building and although this could be dealt with through a development variance permit, by rezoning the subject property to commercial not only would the setbacks for the canopy be met, it would also allow greater flexibility for future commercial useand allowing greater flexibility for future commercial use.
The existing building on the subject property has been on site for a number of years with several different uses for it over the years. In 2006 a Building Permit was issued to refinish the building and in 2012 a Building Permit was issued to convert the warehouse to a commercial shop. The ‘commercial use’ being a flooring and building supply centre, a use that is still permitted under the Industrial One zone
Administration recommends that consideration by the APC, along with the Public Open House and formal referral to the agencies listed at Attachment No. 1, should be considered appropriate consultation for the purpose of Section 879 of the Local Government Act. As such, this process is seen to be sufficient.
Analysis:
The primary consideration is whether to amend the zoning bylaw for the subject property in order to introduce a general commercial zoning onto an industrial zoned parcel.
The Official Community Plan (OCP) generally directs major service and general business commercial uses to existing town centres, which have the necessary infrastructure and support services. However, the objectives also include providing for commercial activities servicing the needs of local residents and tourists, expanding services as future growth may dictate. The OCP also seeks to ensure that the scale of all commercial developments harmonize with the rural character of the Plan area.
The OCP also directs major industrial uses to town centres, which have the necessary infrastructure and support services. In this case, the characteristic of the immediate neighbourhood can be seen as a cluster of mixed commercial enterprises, located along Hwy 97. The commercial zoning for neighbouring properties has been in place since the 1990s. The proposed zone would not be introducing a commercial use into an otherwise primary agricultural or residential area. The location of the subject property is also within close proximity of the Town of Oliver. . The proposed zone would not be introducing a commercial use into an otherwise primary agricultural or residential area. The location of the subject property is also within close proximity of the Town of Oliver.
The use of the subject property, as a flooring and building supply centre, although permitted within the Industrial zone, may also be easily converted to a more diverse retail centre which would permitted within a commercial zone.
Other differences identified in the zoning bylaw between the I1 zone and the C1 zone include: minimum setbacks from parcel lines with industrial setbacks being 10 m for front and exterior while commercial is 7.5 m for front and 4.5 m for rear, interior and exterior. As well the I1 zone permits a height of 15 m while the C1 zone permits of 10m.
The impact on the rural community and character of the neighbourhood would not be seen to be negatively impacted if the rezoning were to be approved.
This content based on RDOS agenda material for a Board meeting next week.