A weekly roundup of noteworthy news in municipalities across B.C.
Delta has decided to sell civic-owned land on Ladner’s waterfront in an attempt to attract development to revitalize the area. At an in-camera meeting last week, Delta council voted in favour of selling the Seven Seas property and adjacent Delta-owned sites on Chisholm Street.
The City of Dawson Creek was recognized with the BC Water and Waste Association’s Award of Excellence for its reclaimed water plant, which was developed through an innovative partnership with Shell Canada. “I think what it does is it recognizes the innovation of it and recognizes the cities commitment to reducing water use and it’s principles around sustainability,” said Kevin Henderson, director of infrastructure and sustainable development.
West Vancouver is exploring whether to allow coach houses on single family lots to improve housing affordability and to increase the variety of housing available. Stephen Mikicich, a West Vancouver community planner, said this “gentler form of densification” could add options to an area that has many single family homes and a few apartments, but very little in between.
Developers could be required to pay a new fee to the City of Revelstoke that will be set aside into a fund that will be used to support affordable housing. That’s the very basic outline of a new concept being proposed by city hall, but the new idea is already getting a rough ride from opponents who say it would harm an already anemic development sector in Revelstoke.
The Township of Langley is making changes to its development plan thanks to the success of the new Port Mann rapid bus. Mayor Jack Froese says the route is so popular the township is now looking to change the zoning around the Carvolth Transit Exchange. Froese says they would like to change the zoning from commercial to residential.
Whistler may know a thing or two about developing and maintaining affordable housing, but it’s never seen a cohousing project — until now. At a special board meeting in April, the Whistler Development Corporation (WDC), which continues to oversee the development of the Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood, signed an $850,000 contract for a new cohousing project next to the youth hostel.