By John MoorhouseFriday, June 15, 2007 http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?id=49213
While Penticton city council looks towards legalizing secondary suites as a way to reduce the affordable housing crunch, the nuts and bolts of any pending legislation are coming under review. Mayor Jake Kimberley said Thursday the secondary suites issue was discussed in detail at a joint meeting of the mayors of the Okanagan‘s three largest cities in Vernon this week. Many municipalities, including Vernon and Kelowna, have concerns about how to implement and enforce secondary suite legislation. Kimberley expects council to make a decision on whether city staff should prepare a report on the issue within two or three months. “I‘ve asked for that to be pushed through and brought to the table again because it‘s time we dealt with it, because of the situation we‘re in,” he said. “It‘s scary for anybody trying to find a home when these things happen, such as the Wilson Place fire.” The apartment vacancy rate in Penticton dipped to 0.5 per cent in April, equivalent to one vacancy for every 200 apartments in the city. The mayor said it must be determined whether a secondary suite application should be treated like a rezoning and involve a council decision with neighbourhood input, or if it should be handled strictly by city staff. Other questions to be answered include how many secondary suites should be permitted in a neighbourhood and whether it should be mandatory for landlords to live in the same home that includes a secondary suite. “If the owner of the house stays in the house and looks after the property, then there‘s more security that the tenants in the secondary suite will be properly administered – versus an absentee landlord where things could get a little out of control in the neighbourhood,” Kimberley said. Increased traffic through single family neighbourhoods is another concern. Meanwhile, the three Valley mayors agreed this week on the need for senior government funding to assist residents in the removal of pine beetle infested trees. A comprehensive transportation plan involving commuter traffic between the three municipalities was also discussed.
----------------------------
City of Vernon Public Notice:Posted: June 15, 2007
Valley Mayors Meet http://www.vernon.ca/news/index.html
Mayor Sharon Shepherd of Kelowna, Mayor Jake Kimberley of Penticton and Mayor Wayne Lippert of Vernon, along with the three City Administrators, participated in a three hour meeting at Vernon City Hall on Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 where they shared information on issues of mutual interest to all valley communities. Topics included sustainability and climate change, Regional Transit, Pine Beetle infestation and the single Business Licence initiative proposed by the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue.The three Mayors agreed that they would investigate initiatives that the three municipalities could work together regarding Okanagan sustainability and climate change priorities. Mayors Shepherd, Kimberley and Lippert also agreed on the need for funding from senior government to assist valley residents in the removal of pine beetle infested trees.
The three Mayors will keep each other updated on discussions with senior levels of government in this regard.A discussion was held on the comprehensive transportation plan being conducted by the Cities of Vernon and Kelowna in partnership with the Regional Districts of North Okanagan and Central Okanagan, with the Mayors agreeing for the need to explore strategies to deal with commuter traffic between the three municipalities.“It is extremely beneficial to our communities for the Mayors of Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton to meet and discuss issues of mutual interest. ” commented Mayor Lippert. “All three municipalities face many of the same issues and through meetings such as this; we can share our experiences and work towards solutions.”
------------------------------
Don Quixote Note: Same meeting but apparently Pentiction focused on the secondary suites issue which was was discussed in detail. (According to Pentiction media report). Meanwhile the City of Vernon press release does not mention that this secondary suite issue was even on the agenda. ?
No comments:
Post a Comment