By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
Amendments to the Town of Osoyoos’s Official Community Plan (OCP), along with zoning amendments, will proceed to a public hearing following a review of the amendments by Council.
The process of approving those amendments is one that has been worked on consistently since discussion began back in January.
More recently, the amendment bylaws had to be referred back to committee when it was revealed that, among the changes to the bylaws, minimum sizes for parking stalls would be reduced. Fearing that the revised minimum spaces would not be accommodating of the needs of visitors to Osoyoos, Council opted to remove that section of the proposed amendments.
Other changes to the OCP and zoning bylaws remain in place. Primarily, the OCP would be edited for riparian protection areas around Osoyoos Lake.
The proposed changes would bring the Osoyoos OCP in line with other riparian areas around the Lake, which fall under the purview of the RDOS’s Electoral Area “A”. The adjustments would also eliminate redundancies in the text and better align OCP map schedules with those approved by Council back in 2024.
Zoning changes include the allowance of an “alcohol production facility”, specifically a craft brewery, in the General Industrial zone of Osoyoos, as well as updates concerning the number of accessible parking spaces required to be provided.
The changes, separately, would permit the construction of a duplex on the 4601 97 Street property.
Some hurdles still need to be cleared before the changes can take effect. Given that some of the lands that are the focus of the proposed amendments fall near Highways 3 and 97, the provincial Ministry of Transportation would still need to sign off on them, in addition to Council approval.
The changes have so far won approval from the RDOS’s Solid Waste Department, as well as the Finance Department of the Town itself. However, to fully meet the Local Government Act requirements, further approval is required from School District No. 53, as well as the Agricultural Land Commission.
In addition, the Public Hearing step is still required for the matter, meaning Council, for the time being, could only give first and second readings to the proposed changes. Staff recommended the June 23 meeting date be chosen for the holding of the Public Hearing.
Council opted to give the first and second readings of the amendment bylaws and agree to the June 23 date for the Public Hearing.
