Whistler council is scheduling a new public hearing on the CC1 zone bylaws, which effectively limit the size of existing village space.
The second hearing will be held in the New Year. It was scheduled after council discovered it had not received all correspondence at the first hearing on Nov. 19. Council cannot receive any new information as it considers any bylaw after a public hearing has closed.
The bylaws, which have been in the making for more than two years, effectively limit the size of current village businesses in the CC1 zone — from the Tantalus Lodge to Village Gate Boulevard on the north and Blackcomb Way on the east.
Under the new bylaws commercial owners can add 20 square metres (or 215 square feet) to their space but anything more than that would need to go through a rezoning.
Several CC1 property owners believe they have the right to build to the maximum permitted floor space ratio (FSR). Most buildings in the core are built far below their FSR.
Three people spoke at the first public hearing and council received a handful of written submissions, including one from the lawyers representing the Hilton Hotel who wrote:
“My client strongly opposed the Proposed Bylaws and if they are adopted will likely challenge the procedure followed with respect to the adoption of the Proposed Bylaws or seek compensation for what it perceives to be an expropriation of it’s (sic) property rights…”
A date has not been set for the public hearing.
