The Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) can now apply to the Ministry of Community Services to amend the Official Community Plan (OCP) and include a parkland dedication policy.
Under the OCP Bylaws, this policy will be included and it is a requirement for subdivision developers in the Burns Lake rural and Francois Lake [north shore] areas.
The purpose of this policy is to require property owners applying to create a subdivision of three or more lots of which the smallest is two hectares or smaller to provide up to five per cent parkland, cash in lieu, or a combination of both.
“Previously, we have [a] parks option, and now under the current situation, when there’s a subdivision application that involves a number of lots; parkland dedication is required,” said RDBN director of planning Jason Llewellyn.
“Now that we have a parks function, there is the option of dedication of five per cent of the land for parks purposes, or cash equivalent function without worrying in the OCP, providing guidance as to whether what type of parkland regional district court requires that decision whether to get the parkland or the five per cent cash, developers decision, with this wording added to the OCP.
“The decision is now with the board and the regional district whether to get the land or the cash,” said Llewellyn.
Llewellyn stated the board has three options to deal with this issue.
“So one option is that the board can have the decision whether to take land, cash, or to just waive the requirement altogether on a case-by-case basis,” said Llewellyn.
“This would involve [a] political process through the Advisory Planning Commission as subdivisions are reviewed. And certainly that the area director’s don’t adopt a bylaw similar to this.”
“Then it’s entirely up to the applicant, whether to provide the land or cash. Also, they could request the board requirement.”
“There’s certainly an option where the director can request an amendment to their Official Community Plan, just saying that you don’t want to use one blanket waive the requirement for parkland dedication in your electoral area.”
Area B Director Michael Riis-Christianson, said he likes the flexibility of the proposed amendment.
“I strongly support these bylaws and your other reason is what happened in Electoral Area B a few years ago, where we had a subdivision and we accepted the land, where it would have been much more suitable for us to take the cash now because the land basically had no value,” he said. “I don’t see this as taking away my flexibility, in fact, it gives us a decision and not a developers decision.”