An effort to streamline the wheels of city planning is on the road.
A plan is taking shape to delete repetitive review of substandard lots – and save taxpayer money and council’s time – on a general zoning amendment that has been a slam-dunk approval for council in the past.
The amendment past first and second reading January 14.
The planning department recommendation was for boundary adjustments on properties with houses constructed across lot lines. It would allow the homeowners to subdivide their property into new, substandard lots to the minimum lot size without having to go through city council for approval.
Instead, the application for subdivision will have to meet five requirements, as well as general requirements of the subdivision approving process and only go through an approving officer.
Although less council and staff time will be devoted to rezoning applications that cross lot lines, some councilors felt approving the amendment would take the public process out of future decisions.
“What we have now is the ability to screen (these amendment) through public process,” said Councilor Ian Mason. “you lose that by approving this. I’m not sure if it’s worth it to lose that.”
If approved Councilor Mason said anyone sitting on a double lot would see a significant rise in property values.
He admitted some work still needed to be done to maximize the land base and create more density but there had to be an idea of equity about it.
In his report, senior planner Dave Wahn noted council historically approved every instance where a homeowner with a substantial lot made an application. In some cases it involved going from three substandard lots to two substandard lots, and vice versa.
He cited seven recent cases of amendments which passed through council and gained approval. He had been directed by council when he took the position of senior planner several months ago to look for ways to streamline the planning process and this was one of them.
“If it seems that they’re all going through so why put property owners through the expense and angst of that process and save a cost to the taxpayers and the time of council?” he said. “If we can do it once through a rezoning process, why do it several times?”
In order for a subdivision of two of more contiguous substandard sized lots to gain approval of a planning officer, they must meet all of the following:
1. Be legally constructed single-family dwelling crossing a property line
2. Be a subdivision dividing into equal or fewer lots,
3. Have no new lot smaller then any existing lot
4. The existing house shall meet setback requirements to the newly created lot lines’
5. The principle use shall be a single-family dwelling.
Wahn said there couldn’t be a bylaw written that would satisfy every possible concern.
“There are always going to be people with problems in any bylaw,” he said. “It’s a degree of compromise. I have to put in planning that works for the majority of the population and this does that.”
Timothy Schafer Nelson Daily News February 5, 2008
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