At its Regular Meeting on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, beginning at 6:30 pm, Smithers Town Council will consider the following bylaws for their first reading:
Bylaw No. 1972: To amend the Town of Smithers Zoning Bylaw No. 1936, to comply with the legislated minimum density requirements enacted by Bill 44 (provincial housing legislation) and to reasonably accommodate small scale housing developments across various residential zones in the community.
Bylaw No. 1973: To amend the Town of Smithers Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw No. 1935, to align with the mandatory Zoning Bylaw amendments initiated to meet the provincial housing legislation requirements.
Purpose: As per Bill 44, the Town is required to amend its Zoning Bylaw by June 30, 2024, to comply with the minimum density requirements established by the province, and consequently amend the Town’s OCP bylaw to reflect the changes. The proposed amendments will result in the creation of a new Low-Density Residential (LDR) zone, by merging the current R-1 Single Detached Dwelling, R-2 Low-Density Residential, and R-2A Low-Density Multi-Family Residential zones. It also includes amendments to other residential zones that were found as necessary to permit a meaningful density transition across zones. The Town will initiate a second round of amendments to the OCP and Zoning Bylaws, once the Housing Needs Report is updated in early Fall, in accordance with the new standardized housing needs assessment methodology and template.
As Bill 44 prohibits local governments from holding public hearings for Zoning-OCP amendments specifically initiated to comply with the Bill 44 requirements, the Town will not be holding a public hearing for the above bylaws. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at the Town Hall, 1027 Aldous Street, Smithers, BC, and Facebook livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/TownofSmithers.
The proposed bylaws and relevant background information are available at the links below or at the Town Office (1027 Aldous Street) Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For further information, please contact Deepa Chandran, Planner at (250) 847-1600 or devserv@smithers.ca
Background Information:
Council Report (May 9, 2024 Committee of the Whole Meeting)
Council Presentation (May 9, 2024 Committee of the Whole)
