On Feb. 8, Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) held a public meeting for property owners on Burfield Dr., to discuss issues related to parking and to review the ongoing rezoning process.
Over the past few years, residents have raised issue with the fact that most of the houses on Burfield Dr. were built prior to the municipality and the rest of the community. More recently, complaints have surrounded issues with the road right-of-way.
All subdivisions have a statutory right-of-way that is municipal property. Under the current bylaws in Sun Peaks, residents are prohibited from parking on that property.
It has recently been brought to SPMRM’s attention that the right-of-way on Burfield Dr. is 30 metres wide — in contrast to the usual 20 metres — meaning many residents have been parking illegally on municipal property within what they thought was their property, or driveway.
SPMRM Mayor Al Raine said the municipality recognizes not allowing property owners to park on the right-of-way limits residential parking, which is already an issue on Burfield Dr. Therefore, the municipality will not be enforcing that bylaw and are looking for a way to change it.
“We are trying to come up with a solution to say ‘how do we permit property owners the right to park on the road right of way? Which legal method would we use?’” Raine said in the meeting. “Before we got into deciding that as a council, we thought we should inform people.”
With that being said, residents should still be parking at least two metres away from the edge of the pavement on the road to allow for snow clearance. SPMRM staff said anyone parked within two metres of the road could be ticketed.
In the meeting, SPMRM staff also reviewed the rezoning application process, to ensure all requirements are clear.
Most properties on Burfield Dr. are zoned as residential single and two family (R-1). This zoning allows for a single family, single family with a suite or a duplex. It does not allow for suites within duplex properties, but the municipality reports many non-conforming suites were built into properties illegally.
In April 2017, council decided it would allow those suites to be legalized through a rezoning process, as long as they comply with B.C. building code requirements and fire codes.
In the Feb. 8 meeting, SPMRM staff explained that the process begins with an application, which includes a form, a $1,500 fee, a copy of title and all charges on title, a code consultant report, a surveyed to-scale site plan, parking for three vehicles on site and a contaminated site waiver.
Once planning staff are satisfied with the application, a report will be written to recommend moving forward. Council would then review the report at a public council meeting, give the bylaw two readings and move it to a public hearing. After the public hearing, the bylaw can be given a third reading.
At this point a building permit is required to complete any issues of non-compliance with codes. Upon a final inspection, the suite may become legal.
The deadline to submit a rezoning application is April 30, 2022.
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