Bylaw Amendment No. 2561.14 – 8025 Princeton-Summerland Road (F2020.008-ZONE) Question & Answer Sheet
This Question & Answer sheet has been prepared by the RDOS Planning Department in an effort to acknowledge comments received regarding the rezoning application for 8025 Princeton-Summerland Road and to share responses to questions asked about the proposed Site Specific Small Holdings Two (SH2s) zone.
An electronic Public Information Meeting will be held on Monday, June 29 at 6pm and the public is invited to attend. There will be a brief presentation on the proposed bylaw, followed by a Question & Answer period.
Date: Monday, June 29, 2020
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: https://rdos.webex.com
Meeting number:146 492 7890 (password: RD@S)
What is this application about?
This is a site-specific zoning amendment for a 3.3 ha portion of the subject property (8025 Princeton-Summerland Road). The zoning designation for this 3.3. ha would change from SH3 to SH2s (yellow shaded area).
The Small Holdings Two (SH2) zone allows for a broader range of uses, including a home industry. It also requires a larger minimum lot size than the SH3 zone.
The site specific request is for additional floor area for a home industry (300 m2 v. 200 m2) to accommodate a woodworking studio.
What is a home industry?
A “home industry” is defined in the Area “F” Zoning Bylaw and means “an occupation or a commercial use that is accessory to the principal residential use of the parcel and may include manufacturing, processing, fabricating, assembling, storing, distributing, testing, servicing, or repairing of goods or materials including vehicle repair, maintenance and auto body shops and other similar uses”.
Home industries have restrictions in the Area “F” Zoning Bylaw including:
Minimum parcel size of 2 ha
Maximum floor area of home industry (in this case, asking for 300 m2 of all indoor space)
The home industry must be conducted within an enclosed building or structure
Only persons residing in the principal dwelling and up to 2 non-resident employees can carry on the home industry
One parking stall per non-resident employee
No retail sales except goods produced, grown or assembled on the parcel
Restriction of specified uses (no auto salvage, concrete manufacture, bulk fuel or chemical storage, cannabis production, animal processing, or animal feed production)
What about the subdivision?
There is an active subdivision application to create two additional lots on the remaining SH3 portion of the property. As part of the subdivision process, the applicant will be required to provide proof of potable water for these additional lots. It is understood that this would be done by private on-site dug wells for the additional lots.
The subdivision is a separate process than the rezoning application and not subject to public comments. The approving authority for all subdivisions within the Regional District is the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI), therefore applications to subdivide property are submitted to the Ministry.
What about water connections?
It is acknowledged that the Faulder Water System has no additional capacity at this time and is limited to 80 connections. No additional connections are being proposed to the Faulder Water System as part of this rezoning application.
What about noise?
Noise has been a noted as a concern among neighbouring residents. This has been related to the noise of operating saws and other woodworking equipment as well as the operation of dust collection systems or other mechanical equipment associated with a woodworking studio.
The applicant has stated in their application their intention to construct a building with 2x10 walls, insulated with dense pack cellulose as a way to ensure that sound is dampened.
The RDOS Board has instructed that a statutory covenant be registered on title to ensure that the home industry operations are fully contained and within a sound-dampened building. This will mean that:
There will be no part of the home industry outside of the building (i.e. no outdoor storage of materials or mechanical equipment)
The home industry will be required to be within a sound-dampened building
The details of the restrictive covenant are being prepared and a draft will be available before the public hearing
What happens if the use is still too noisy?
Area “F” has a Noise Bylaw in effect. This means that no person shall make or cause any noise which disturbs, or tends to disturb, the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood. As such, there is a mechanism for neighbours to lodge complaints to Bylaw enforcement about noise.
The intent of the sound-dampened building is to mitigate noise to make the need for such complaints unlikely but it is the responsibility for all people in Area F (including home industry workers) to not disturb the peace.
Doesn’t this set a precedent for other businesses to locate here?
Commercial businesses are generally directed to Primary Growth Areas, like the District of Summerland. Home industries are considered small-scale commercial uses that are secondary to the residential use.
The Faulder area already has home industries (or permissions for home industry) on larger rural properties that are zoned SH2 and RA and this use is considered compatible with rural residences.
Home industries are generally supported on parcels that are 2.0 ha or greater. Of the parcels in the immediate area that are zoned SH3 (and are not allowed a home industry), the majority do not have sufficient parcel area (the parcels are less than 2.0 ha) and would not be supportable.
What about dust collection? The applicant has advised that an internal dust collection system will be in place.
Dust collection is regulated under WorkSafeBC to ensure a safe working conditions.
What about fire prevention/risk?
It is acknowledged that there is no fire protection service in this area and this is a concern to residents. There is no outdoor storage of materials, which prevents fuel loading on the property. There will be a wood dust collection system within the building. Also, the home industry location is in an area designated as Low Risk in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (see map) placing this use in a preferred location within the Protection Plan area.
What about additional traffic?
A home industry is limited in scale and traffic generated would be based on limited operations and a restricted number of employees (2 non-resident employees only).
What time of day can a home industry operate?
We do not regulate business hours but the use of saws, hammers, etc. are prohibited under the Noise Bylaw between 10:00pm and 6:00 am except Sundays where it is prohibited until 8:00 am.
Also, persons making noise which disturbs the quiet of the neighbourhood is enforceable 24/7.