By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Despite an agricultural property being outside of a Growth Area, the RDOS approved rezoning for a two-lot subdivision outside Oliver.
The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) approved amending the zoning on a portion of a property to make way for a two lot subdivision at 5900 McKinney Road, mid-way between Oliver and Mount Baldy.
The large 32.2 ha property straddles the north and south sides of McKinney Road. But the application was to amend zoning for a small 2.6 ha portion that is entirely on the South side of the road.
The property has a single detached dwelling and various accessory structures, which are located on the north side of McKinney Road.
Map showing the location of the property.
Google Map image
The board voted unanimously to approve the application. This cleared a path forward by rezoning the portion of land from agricultural to small holdings.
But the RDOS gave this approval despite the fact that it is contrary to the Growth Management Objectives of the Regional District’s land use bylaws.
The rezoning will change the land use to build housing outside of a Growth Area (primary or rural) and within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
The RDOS did not see this as a problem since the parcel is larger than (8.0 ha) and will remain as “rural” with limited community services and infrastructure.
The application is also supported by the fact that it is in line with the Area C Official Community Plan (OCP) in that it improves farming buffers because it eliminates the need for farm vehicles to cross McKinney Road.
It achieves this by splitting the entire north side of the road as agriculture, and the entire south side of the road will be zoned with this new designation.
The application is also supported in that it maintains rural character, and accommodates residential growth that doesn’t negatively impact agriculture.
