Here's a quick look at what you can expect at the Village of Pemberton (VOP) council meeting on April 21.
After an in-camera session at 8:30 a.m., the public portion of the meeting is set to kick off at 9:00 a.m.
Five Year Financial Plan
Council will hold first, second, third and fourth readings of two bylaws, including the Five Year Financial Plan.
The document was not included in the initial council package, but will be made available on April 20.
A provincial ministerial order from March 26 allows municipalities to adopt bylaws on the same days that they receive third reading during the provincial state of emergency.
Hillside Development Standards
Council will have the opportunity to vote on Hillside Development Standards.
Planner Joanna Rees' report was created with several goals in mind, including to avoid development on unstable or hazardous sites while protecting wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation options, managing storm run-off, considering projects' visual impacts and complementing Pemberton's hillside character.
While creating the standards, staff analyzed existing policies in Squamish, Kelowna and Nanaimo.
The report notes that the standards are intended to be used as best practices as opposed to being regulatory, adding that they will generally be implemented during subdivision and rezoning stages in an application.
While the standards themselves won't be directly enforceable, Rees notes that council can create policies and bylaws to support the guidelines such as: incorporating the goals and objectives into the Official Community Plan (OCP); creating a Hillside Development Permit Area (DPA), which would consolidate existing DPA policies that apply to hillside areas and could allow the village to require applications materials such as a landscaping or grading plan; creating site-specific hillside zoning, and; updating Hillside Road Development Standards, including adding technical standards regarding retaining walls and site grading.
After public consultation, which included a survey, a letter from the Pemberton Off-Road Cycling Association and Pemberton Valley Trails Association, request for comments from hillside strata managers, and an email from Stewardship Pemberton, the planners amended the document with some changes, such as including habitat protection and preservation in the landscaping section, as well as adding a trail-preservation section.
Council identified creating hillside standards as a priority in March of 2019 and saw draft guidelines at Committee of the Whole and regular meetings in November.
Cycling Network Plan
Council will have the opportunity to vote on the Village of Pemberton Cycling Network Plan, which has been in development since October and was supported by the Provincial BikeBC Infrastructure Fund. Victoria-based Urban Systems Ltd. was selected to put together the plan, which eyes making cycling a "safe, attractive and convenient transportation option for people of all ages and abilities" in the village.
The five steps of development included: assessing the village's current cycling conditions; holding a "day of learning" with stakeholders from the Pemberton Valley Trails Association, Pemberton Off-Road Cycling Association, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, the VOP operations, administration and development departments, as well as interested members of the public; preparing a draft of the network and policies; engaging the community, and; creating a final network and policies.
The plan recommends 45 segments be improved into one of three options: a neighbourhood bikeway; a section with buffered and painted lines; or a multi-use path. Sixteen sections are defined as high priority and are recommended for completion in the next five years, while 17 are defined as medium priority and targeted for completion in five to 10 years. The remaining segments are low priority and can be done in 10-plus years.
In addition to upgrades to paths and roadways, the plan also includes recommendations for bike parking and other end-of-trip facilities such as bike-repair stands, changing rooms, showers and storage spaces.
The total project cost is estimated at $7.39 million, with high priority sections comprising $1.02 million of that total.
"These cost estimates are based on retrofitting an existing right-of-way with a bicycle facility or installing a new multi-use pathway on an existing Village-owned property with minimal additional surface preparation and grading required," the report stated. "Any required land acquisition, structures, traffic control devices and further engineering studies have not been included in the cost."
In addition to using VOP funds, the report suggests other funding sources including: leveraging transportation improvements through the development process; tapping into provincial and federal programs such as the Active Transportation Infrastructure Funding program; the Federation of Canadian Municipalities-managed Green Municipal Fund; ICBC's Road Improvement Program; and community groups and programs.
The full report is available here: https://www.pemberton.ca/public/download/files/114031.
Bylaw Dispute System
As the VOP continues to implement a Bylaw Notice Dispute Adjudication System, it is looking to approve a policy for screening officers.
The proposed policy allows for a screening officer to cancel a bylaw notice for several reasons, including if:
- the notice was issued to the wrong person;
- the vehicle involved had been stolen;
- an exception to the bylaw applies;
- the bylaw itself does not apply;
- the bylaw changed since the notice was issued and no longer applies;
- the person receiving the notice attempted to comply with the bylaw but faced mechanical issues or there was a data-entry error;
- the person broke the bylaw for a health and safety reason such as a medical emergency;
- the Village has inadequate evidence to prove that the bylaw was broken, the issuing officer relied on incorrect information when issuing the notice, the bylaw itself is ambiguous or poorly worded, or the notice was completed improperly; or
- if it is not in the public interest to proceed with enforcing the notice, such as if the person receiving the notice was permitted to act in contravention of the bylaw or if the person was in the midst of a personal tragedy.
