Revelstoke City Council have approved the re-reading of a second reading of an application to amend a bylaw that would allow Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) to apply for density shifting and scheduled a public hearing on the matter for Apr. 4.
On Feb. 14, an application to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 2346 was defeated on a tie by city council.
At the beginning of the regular council meeting on Feb. 28, Mayor Gary Sulz exercised Sec. 131 of the BC Community Charter which allows the mayor to require the council to reconsider and vote again on a matter that was the subject of a vote.
Mayor Sulz stated that enough information had been brought forward by Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) at a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 21 to have further discussion on the motion.
The balance of council were in favour of the motion this time around, with Coun. Tim Palmer still opposed. Councillors Tim Stapenhurst and Austin Luciow, who voted against the motion on Feb. 14, voted in favour of the motion this time around, stating they would like to move forward to let the public have input.
Coun. Palmer was once again critical of the amendment to the zoning bylaw, calling it a ‘procedural tangle’, and added that he believes the application could pose ‘enormous risk to the community’.
“This is possibly the biggest decision that we’re going to make as this council, and I believe we’re making a mistake,” stated Coun. Palmer.
Coun. Palmer added that in Jan. of 2023, staff and council were invited to a social hosted by RMR, adding that he was ‘assured that there wasn’t any dialogue regarding the application’, but said that the timing of the social ‘is noteworthy’.
Coun. Devlin highlighted that, by moving forward with this application, council is not allowing specific shifts in density with the amendment to the bylaw, but rather amending the bylaw to allow them to request shifts between lands they already own.
“Now that doesn’t mean that we have to approve any shifts in density, but we at least have to be open to that conversation because I see no way that not being open to that conversation is going to protect the heritage of Revelstoke as a whole,” said Coun. Devlin.
Paul Simon, Head of Planning and Development Services, added that the cap on density and the fact that shifts will still be subject to approval by council give them security and leverage on the development going forward.
A public hearing for the application to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 2346 will take place on Apr. 4. More details to come.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Evan Parliament, RMR has agreed to hold public information sessions in late March, inviting citizens to engage and ask questions about their application to amend the zoning bylaw.
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