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Marysville re-zoning narrowly defeated
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On July 24, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Sue Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Woody Maguire, Jason McBain, Sandra Roberts and Steven Royer were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.
An archive of the meeting can be found on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.
Marysville re-zoning defeated
After two public hearings, several petitions and numerous dissenting emails along with a minority of communication offering support, the issue of re-zoning industrial land to commercial in Marysville came before council.
Starting with Mayor McCormick, each councillor was given unlimited time to present their views and concerns regarding the proposed OCP and zoning changes.
Mayor McCormick reiterated several of his previous statements in support of the project. He spoke about the city’s lack of commercial land saying there was “zero land” for that purpose.
His second point dealt with the need to “stop tax escalation” and reduce the burden on residential taxpayers. Thirdly, he noted commercial land is needed to add services and “keep Kimberley competitive with other resort municipalities.”
McCormick concluded, “The role of the municipality is to create an environment that attracts investment; not judge it. Council should not decide who gets in and who doesn’t.”
Among Coun. Maguire’s many concerns, he pointed out, “Franchises do very little to increase tourism or culture within our community. They do very little to attract new spending into the community.” Assessing the project, he said, “The negative impacts far outweigh the benefits. It is our job to enforce zoning and to ensure that Kimberley grows in a way that honours the long-term needs of our community.”
Coun. Cairns spoke to the need for an economic study on how the proposed development would impact the city, the Platzl and local economy. She noted that, “Outward expansion kills and undermines downtown and central business zones.”
She continued, “We aren’t a highway pit-stop. We are off the beaten track. People have to want to come here and they do because we are a reprieve from the standard. We are not generic; let’s not throw that away. What we have is valued.”
Councillor Roberts lamented the “division” this issue has created in the community. She stated, “I am absolutely astonished at the amount of hysteria, misinformation, bullying and disrespect this issue has brought out in the community.”
That is not the type of democracy she wants to be part of. Finalizing her comments, she said, “I will never ever vote to restrict an individual’s right to develop a legal business.”
While concurring with the Mayor’s push to diversify the tax base, Coun. McBain felt that it was unfair for the Marysville proponent to request council create a zoning category specifically for their project. He added, “existing businesses work within framework of the existing OCP. Dramatically changing the zoning to fit their [proponents] plans. This is where the unfairness lies.”
Coun. McBain said the city’s own professional planning department “went into fine detail about the reasons why we should not support this zoning amendment.” Concluding, McBain wants to see the proponent cover the cost of a “detailed presentation on how this will fit the town socially, economically and culturally.”
Coun. Dunnebacke spoke about how these changes would negatively impact the community. He agreed that something should be done with the industrial park, concluding, “We need to have water and sewer and a solid plan before we do anything with it.”
Coun. Royer spoke last and re-affirmed his support for the project. He said, “If we do nothing with this zoning change, we will get nothing. If we go forward with this change, we get something.”
When it came time to vote, Couns. Maguire, Cairns, Dunnebacke and McBain were opposed. Couns. Roberts and Royer and Mayor McCormick voted to supported the changes.
The proposed Marysville zoning changes were defeated.
Building Permit Report
Manager of Planning and Sustainability, Troy Pollock, presented a report on the state of building permits and construction values for Q2 (April, May, June).
Pollock said, “The second quarter is more positive than the first. Some of the large permits for multi-unit apartments have been issued.” He went on, “If we classify the last two years as exceptionally busy, then this year so far is a bit busier than normal, moderately busy.”
New dwelling units were up substantially in Q2, compared to Q1. Just over 40 building permits were issued for the construction of new dwellings.
The value of construction based on building permits is now over $15 million which is lower than the $20 million from 2022.
Building permits generate revenue for the city. In Q2, revenue was just over $20,000. The city received more than $30,000 in permit revenue last year during Q2.
In the last three months, 18 permits were issued for renovations to existing homes, and six (6) permits were issued for the building of a garage or carport.
Kimberley city council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting: August 21. Only one meeting in July and August.
e-KNOW file photos
e-KNOW
