PERIOD REPORT
DATE: September 23, 2024 Report No. DEV-24-042
TO: Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Development Services Department - 2024 Second Period Report
Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Development Services Department from May 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Rezoning Application / Official Community Plan Amendments
In addition to processing rezoning applications submitted previously (Appendix “B”), the Department received 3 new rezoning & OCP amendment applications in the 2nd period:
• 1073 Colville Road - 2 triplexes and 2 with secondary suites
• 1340 Sussex & 1337 Saunders Street- 21 Storey, 335-unit rental apartment
• 1209 Lyall Street - tasting room for small brewery
2. Development Permit (DP) Applications
In addition to the existing development permit applications that staff continued to process (Appendix “B”), the department received five new applications in the second period:
• 914 McNaughton Ave - Duplex with secondary suites
• 1247 Colville Road - DADU
• 1034 Dunsmuir Road - DADU
• 842 Carrie Street - 4-unit SSMFH
• 899 Esquimalt Road - amendment to DP for exterior walls & finishes
3. Development Variance Permit (DVP) Applications
In addition to continuing to process existing DVP applications (Appendix “B”), three new DVP applications were received during the second period.
• 612 Head Street - parking variance; change of use from restaurant to day care
• 842 Carrie Street - reduction in rear yard setback for 4-unit SSMFH development
• 1028 Gosper Crescent - minor changes to site
4. Board of Variance Application (BOV)
• No new applications were received in the second period. See Appendix “B” for ongoing applications.
5. Heritage Alteration Permits (HAP)
• No new applications were received in the second period. See Appendix “B” for ongoing applications.
6. Subdivision Applications
• No new applications were received in the second period. See Appendix “B” for ongoing applications.
7. Temporary Use Permit [TUP] Applications
• No new applications were received in the second period. See Appendix “B” for ongoing applications.
8. Liquor Licence Applications
• A liquor license application was received to add the HMCS Max Bernays to CFB Esquimalt license number 123386.
9. Legal Documents
• No new applications were received in the second period.
10. Other Planning Projects
• Staff prepared several staff reports for the Committee of the Whole related to the provincial Small Scale Multi Unit Housing initiative.
• Staff presented on Short-Term Rental provincial updates and asked for direction on the future of STRs in Esquimalt.
• Worked with the consulting team on the Integrated Parking Study.
• Worked on an Omnibus Amending Bylaw for the Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050.
• Drafted design guidelines to accompany Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zoning amendments.
• Prepared a second application for the Housing Accelerator Fund.
11. Consultation
• Staff participated in several pre-application consultations with various developers and architects actively preparing submissions for multiple family residential projects.
• Consulted with developers and commercial realtors to identify possible sites for small lot infill, commercial mixed use, and high-density residential development in
Esquimalt.
• Fielded a significant volume of realtor, appraiser, developer, and potential home buyer inquiries regarding properties in Esquimalt, particularly those eligible for the new RSM-1 and RSM-2 zoning.
• Fielded a significant volume of inquiries about Short-Term Rentals in Esquimalt.
• Updated the Township’s website with an update on Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zoning; staff is working on a more detailed public guidebook.
12. Sustainability
• Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction Roadmap to develop a concrete action plan to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 presented to COTW and included in Council Priorities Plan.
• Attended the Building Benchmark BC partner meeting.
• Internal Climate Action Working Group met three times. Development services staff prepared agenda and minutes for the meetings.
• Staff continue to work with the CRD Climate Action Inter-Municipal Working Group.
• Staff began working on Terms of Reference for the Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction Road Map project.
• Staff completed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF) for a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Pathway Feasibility Study Grant pre-application and were granted preliminary approval and an invite to complete a full application.
• Met with BC Hydro Account Manager to explore retrofit grant opportunities.
• Attended the inaugural Community Energy Association and the Province of BC’s Climate Action Secretariat’s Resilience Peer Network meeting.
• Worked with City of Victoria and greater Victoria staff on a Union of BC Municipalities Community Emergency Preparedness Fund - Disaster Risk Reduction - Climate Adaptation grant application for a ‘Gorge Waterway Coastal Flood Adaptation Initiative’ grant application.
• Wrote a staff report requesting a Council resolution to support the Township’s inclusion in the Gorge Waterway Coastal Flood Adaptation Initiative grant application with the City of Victoria.
• Met with CRD staff, and Parks and Recreation staff to plan for Esquimalt’s role in the ‘CRD Regional Public EV Charger’ project.
• Attended the CRD led ‘Energy and Carbon Emissions Reporting: Commercial Buildings’ focus group sessions.
• Attended the CRD ‘Extreme Heat Data & Information Portal Workshop’
• Attended and invited Parks staff to the initial CRD ‘2 Billion Trees Partner Meeting’ to discuss a grant initiative.
13. Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Provided digital data to the Integrated Cadastral Information Society.
• Created and updated online maps and specific thematic maps for staff.
• Provided mapping services to other departments as requested.
o Did an analysis of potential yard and garden waste volumes for Engineering.
o Did an analysis of “places of worship” for Finance.
• Enhanced routine data maintenance tasks with scripting.
• Processed LiDAR data to create high vegetation canopy coverage map and 3D building map.
• Processed census data in 2021 to GIS format to be integrated in GIS maps.
• Made several census maps and census dashboards.
• Made several SSMUH maps, climate change dashboards, and ArcGIS Urban 3D models.
14. Other
• Assisted Engineering and their consulting team by providing land use analysis for the Sewage Capacity Analysis Study.
• Reviewed numerous Building Permit applications for compliance with development permits and zoning regulations.
• Assisted with updating and relaunching the website.
• Reviewed Business Licence Applications for Zoning Compliance.
• Responded to property information requests.
• Processed 18 Freedom of Information requests for building plans.
• Attended meeting of the Regional Planning Directors.
• Met with the Health Needs Assessment consulting team on a number of occasions to refine the project scope.
15. Training
Staff attended the following training sessions:
• Staff attended several webinars relating to Small-scale, Multi-unit Housing.
• Staff attended online workshops, including: 8 80 Cities with Gil Penalosa, Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP) Corporate Reporting Webinar <https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/local-governments/local-government-climate-action-program>, the RUSH Initiative <https://whatstherush.ca/>, FCM Green Municipal Fund - Make your sustainability project stand out with ‘multi-solving’, and ’FCM Green Municipal Fund - Accelerate your communitys net-zero transformation <https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/resources/webinar-recording-accelerate-your-communitys-net-zero-transformation-new-gmf-funding?_cldee=wbFfrSWxTYRLW7i9cR8KZ2yW07gwvaq8BIhM566jOPdYTuTdhFo9JGeu5k466hCo&recipientid=contact-755965c8a510ec1180da005056bc7996-6d5b6870e43c405db1246c3142ecc9c3&esid=13d37e50-2c03-ef11-80e4-005056a3e2c0>.
• Two staff members attended the BC Land Summit.
• One staff member attended the Canadian Institute of Planners Conference.
• Staff participated in training for the Emergency Operations Centre.
• The Approving Officer attended the Local Government Approving Officers workshop.
16. Statistics
See Appendix “A” for status of existing housing applications.
II. COMMITTEES
Advisory Planning Commission:
• The Advisory Planning Commission met twice in the second period and reviewed two applications
Design Review Committee:
• The Design Review Committee met once in the second period and reviewed one application
Board of Variance:
• The Board of Variance did not meet during the second period.