By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
Multiple proposed bylaw amendments in the Town of Osoyoos will face a little more scrutiny before they can be put into effect, with changes to parking stall size grabbing much of the focus.
The amendments were brought to the Regular Council Meeting on March 24 for consideration by Town Planner Shannon Duong. Two different bylaws were discussed: one involving the Town’s Official Community Plan (OCP), and another concerning the Town’s Zoning Amendment Bylaw.
The OCP Bylaw amendment would focus on the Riparian Development Permit (RDP) area and exemptions granted in the area. New criteria would be added, alongside a clarification of existing criteria, for exemptions to be granted in the RDP area.
These modifications would put RDP area guidelines more on par with riparian protection regulations for other areas around Osoyoos Lake.
Amendments to the OCP bylaw would also include correcting “various map schedules within the OCP bylaw which do not reflect amendments made to those maps” under two separate Amendment Bylaws adopted in 2024.
Two different aspects of the Zoning Amendment Bylaw would be revised under the proposals put forward. Permitted uses within the General Industrial (I1) zone would be edited to include what the proposal terms an “alcohol production facility”, or a microbrewery, to the list of permitted uses. The previous Zoning Bylaw did feature a “craft brewery/distillery” option among the permitted uses in its General Industrial zoning section.
Changes to minimum parking space sizes and aisle width would also be put in place under these amendments, which was a point of concern for Council when discussed at a January 27 regular meeting.
Duong explained that she did research on what types of pickup trucks, for example, would fit into a parking spot falling under the updated definition of “minimum” size.
“We did note that the proposed stall depth requirements, which would range from 5.1 metres to 6.1 metres depending on the parking angle, may not be able to accommodate the length of some full-size trucks,” Duong said.
“Just as some examples . . . a 2026 Toyota Tacoma being a mid-size truck can range from 5.4 metres to 5.7 metres in overall length; this would depend on the exact model. And a 2026 Ford F-150, being a full-size truck, can range from 5.3 metres to 6.2 metres, again depending on what model.”
The new parking dimensions would more closely align with what the Town of Oliver currently has, though Oliver Council a week prior had expressed some concerns of their own with regards to parking spaces in their Town, and their ability to accommodate larger vehicles.
Parking space size once again became the main sticking point for Osoyoos Council. No discussion was offered for either the OC amendment bylaw, or for the section of the Zoning Bylaw referring to microbreweries. However, Councillor Johnny Cheong insisted that a closer look be taken at the effects of changing parking space size.
“We’re, obviously, a Resort Municipality and a very well-(utilized) lake,” Cheong said. “The last thing we need is to have parking stalls that will not fit those (larger) cars.”
Cheong moved to refer changes to both bylaws to a future Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, which Councillor Zach Poturica seconded.
“We have a fairly well-established Snowbird population that are either coming to us from the Prairies, or either were farmers or are farmers, and they still like to have their big trucks as well,” Poturica said, building on Cheong’s perspective. “And with some developments over the past, (parking) is a little tighter fit.”
Council unanimously approved the motion to refer the amendments to the CoW. Additionally, a Public Hearing on the issue is scheduled for April 14, at the regular meeting of Council.
