Rural rezoning.
The Regional District Board of Okanagan-Similkameen held a public hearing last Wednesday evening at the Sonora Community Centre, co-chaired by RDOS Chair Dan Ashton and newly-elected Area A Director Mark Pendergraft.
Also attending were RDOS Planner Stephanie Cooling and Recording Secretary Cathy Cowan.
The hearing was arranged for the board to consider an amendment to the Osoyoos Rural Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2260 and the Osoyoos Rural Zoning Bylaw No. 2261.
The applicant, Charles Eric Goodman, has submitted a request to allow a two-lot subdivision of his lot on Long Joe Road, on Anarchist Mountain.
The OCP currently designates the area as Large Holdings (LH) and Goodman is petitioning to change the designation of his property to Small Holdings (SH1). The area of property in question is 6.4 hectares and Goodman wants to split the lot into one 2-acre lot and one 4.4-acre lot.
The Regional Board Report stated that staff note that during the Osoyoos Rural comprehensive bylaw review, the former Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection recommended protecting the integrity of the Large Holdings designation and parcel size in order to better protect wildlife habitat connectivity.rnPlanning Services noted that the OCP policies do not support the bylaw amendments.
There was also a concern that by granting the application to Goodman, a precedent would be set with regards to adjacent properties also designated LH.
At the hearing, three people spoke out in favour of allowing the OCP and zoning amendments and one spoke out in opposition.
Deerfoot Road resident Jim Hendry said he was opposed to the changes because of fears of setting a precedent for further subdivisions.
The OCP has been set. People are in favour of Large Holdings. I'm against it because I'm more worried about the domino effect, Hendry said.
Former Area A Director Eike Scheffler spoke out in support of the applicant, stating he believed it was unfair to single out Anarchist Mountain residents from subdividing, when the Town of Osoyoos has allowed landowners to subdivide.
We have lots of high-priced property on Anarchist. Ten acre lots and larger are very expensive. The average person in this valley can't afford to live there. Why allow five-acre lots up in the Kilpoola area and restrict people from having smaller lots on Anarchist? Scheffler said.
Applicant Eric Goodman said he was the first person to reside at the subdivision in question, but at 81 years of age, he said the area of land is more than he needs now.
It's too much land for me to take care of. When I retired at 50, that was great. I was a mover and shaker and could do a lot of things. I want to downsize, enjoy life a bit more but I also want to remain on my homestead. But I would like to have someone else take care of the bottom lot, Goodman said.
The RDOS Board has also received four written submissions in opposition to and one letter in favour of allowing the changes.
Eric Goodman also submitted a petition of 20 signatures from neighbours in the area who are not opposed to his application to subdivide his property.
The RDOS Board will be meeting in January or the first week of February to make a decision.
