Minutes of General Meeting

September 21, 2005

Parksville Community Centre

7:30 A.M.

 

In Attendance:                        Bruce Cownden, Chair              Ken Kyler

                                    Egon Kuhn                                Art Cowie        

Michelle Jones                          Richard Hudson

                                    Manley LaFoy                           Susanne Hale

                                    Caroline Grover                         Jeff Hale                     

                                   

                                               

                                    Marilyn Hayden, Recording Secretary

                                                           

Guest Speaker:           Mayor Randy Longmuir, City of Parksville         

 

 

Bruce Cownden called the meeting to order at 7:40 A.M.  and introduced guest speaker, Mayor Randy Longmuir, City of Parksville

 

Urban Development Strategy

·         Urban Development Strategy is composed of

o        The OCP, including Downtown Master Plan and current zoning

o        Downtown Revitalization Workplan

·          The OCP and current zoning often are not aligned, but overall the OCP gives a broad overview of the capacity for growth.

·          Land build out under the current OCP would yield in the order of 25,000 residents.

·          Remaining capacity confirmed by a 2005 ALC study:

o         950 units in the single dwelling OCP category

o         2,403 units in the Comprehensive Development zones

o         1,700 units in the Multifamily zone

o         1,250 units in the tourist commercial, recreation/resource management designations.

·         ALC study suggests the ability for Parksville to accommodate 8,000 additional permanent residents and 4,000 seasonal additions.  At a 3% growth rate capacity will be reached in 2022.

·         If Parksville continues to rely on single family residential development at the 92:8 ratio of the last nine years, the supply will be exhausted within approximately 7 years.

·         The ALC report suggests 6,600 additional residents could be accommodated on land within the French Creek area, although some of these areas currently lack servicing.

·         Ermineskin, Shelly and Wosk properties have applied for exclusion from the ALR.  These properties combined, if excluded from the ALR could house a little more than 3,000 new residents.

·         Parksville’s Downtown Master Plan provides development guidelines encouraging residential above retail space in newly constructed buildings.  The PCTC lands are zoned for higher density residential apartments.  The Parksville Bay Waterfront lands have been designated Mixed Waterfront Commercial-Residential in the OCP.

·         One of the difficulties in the renewal of our downtown is the zoning that took place along the old Island Highway primarily in the 1980’s in anticipation of expected growth to a maximum of 40,000.  This number has been reduced to 25,000 leaving a zoning dilemma of having a commercial area, which extends along highway 19A, from the orange bridge to Finholm. 

·         Parksville is striving to focus on a downtown revitalization program and has assigned the task to the new Economic Development Officer.

·         The Economic Development Officer has just had a Downtown Revitalization Work Plan approved and funded by Council.  This is a 3 phase plan:

1.       Community consultation, sketches prepared for façade upgrades and forming a nucleus of a downtown association. – Will start this month

2.       Downtown Master Plan review. – To be completed by spring 2006

3.       Corridor Design Study. – To be completed by spring 2006

·         Senior Staff will be meeting to discuss possible incentives that can be provided to encourage downtown revitalization.  This report should be brought before Council within the next few months.

·         Downtown Master Plan developed in 1993 and revised in 1996 and 1997 will be reviewed shortly by the Economic Development Officer and Director of Community Planning to see what updates are necessary.  Major tenets of the plan still remain and include:

1.       High quality architectural design

2.       Pedestrian scale and orientation

3.       Mixed commercial and residential land uses

4.       Maximum connectivity with the waterfront.

·          In addition to the strategies discussed, Mayor Longmuir also gave his personal belief of what a Downtown Revitalization Plan should include:

1.       Use public realm improvements as a catalyst for revitalization.

2.       Strengthen the connection to neighbourhoods, the waterfront and resort area.

3.       Make downtown living attractive.

4.       Build on existing strengths and plans.

5.       Pursue a limited number of carefully designed and well-planned out specified projects.

6.       Enhance streets and public spaces.

7.       Plant to implement over the next 10-20 years, tied to infrastructure improvement needs, but not led directly by it.

8.       Plan must identify the infrastructure and public improvements necessary to promote downtown revitalization and encourage private development.

·          Within Parksville’s current OCP there is a policy to oppose any extension of commercial development along the island highway or Alberni highway beyond the currently designated areas.

·          The 2002 OCP does not address lands which run from the downtown to the orange bridge other than to oppose the extension of commercial development along the highways.

·          The current OCP and zoning bylaws have not been entirely successful in the comprehensive Development Zone first created in the 1994 OCP.

·          Another challenge facing the community is the provision of affordable housing, social housing and senior’s housing options.  The Economic Development Officer is actively pursuing support for these forms of housing.

 

Questions from around the table

·          If land doesn’t come out of the ALR will it not contribute to sprawl.  Will it become part of an election debate?

o         No, in my opinion probably not because it is not a broad enough subject of interest to all residents.  The waterfront and development will probably be the main subject for debate.

·         Do you think Qualicum Beach would help out addressing RDN lands?

o          No, Qualicum Beach’s Mayor has previously stated that Qualicum Beach would not contribute to a Regional Park. 

·         Do you see rezoning by council to encourage multi-family in the downtown core?

o          Would like to see it happen and this present council would probably approve.

 

 

·         What do you see happening on the highway from the bridge to the downtown core?

o         Would like to see it get away from car dealerships.  Caroline Grover, Economic Development Officer will be bringing up new ideas.

·         Due to the long time period it takes to obtain development permits, why does the city not contract out?

o         The Parksville Beach Motel was contracted out and this council is starting to explore.

 

Bruce Cownden thanked the Mayor for his presentation.