Draft Bylaw 537

Bylaw 530, which in its broadest form would have allowed most properties on the island to have a secondary suite or additional dwelling unit, was probably withdrawn because the SSI Local Trust Committee realized that it was in contravention of the OCP’s restrictions on population growth. Draft Bylaw 537, which is the new, scaled-back, renumbered version of 530 that was presented by staff at the December LTC meeting, permits a cottage or suite on lots already allowed to have suites, and given current water supply restrictions, it affects only a couple of hundred lots. That’s good news.

On the other hand, a projected pilot project — which would probably be handled in a separate resolution — would allow islanders to request streamlined “spot zoning” for properties outside the areas outlined in Bylaw 537. This would create the potential for hundreds more ADUs all over the island and population growth exceeding the cap recommended in our current OCP, and that’s not good news.

In other words, the number of properties covered by Bylaw 537 could easily be expanded if the new interpretation of the Trust Policy Object is officially adopted. The new wording could legitimize changes to the OCP that remove or decrease restrictions on growth. We expect a push to remove the population cap from the OCP

The LTC has now scheduled a special meeting for January 22 to give Bylaw 537 its first, second and third readings. There will be no public hearing for the bylaw, since a new provincial law does not require one for housing bylaws consistent with the OCP, but that doesn’t mean the public cannot attend the meeting or write to the Trust about its concerns. After January 22, the bylaw will go to the Trust Executive Committee for approval, returning to the SSI LTC at their regular meeting on February 14^th for fourth and final reading.