Zoning Amendment PL2023-101

Thank you for sharing your concerns and for your question.

The subject property is included in the Bowser Village Plan (Schedule B of the Official Community Plan) which supports up to 35 dwelling units per hectare by the year 2040.  It is noted that the Bowser Village Plan, which was adopted in 2010 was created through a comprehensive community planning process which involved a broad cross-section of Electoral Area residents and included multiple opportunities for residents to participate. Any applications within the Bowser Village Plan Area that are submitted now will be guided by the policies contained in the Official Community Plan, including the Bowser Village Plan. 

The density supported by the Bowser Village Plan is reliant on the provision of community water and sewer services being available. As community sewer services are not available, the achievable density is much less and is limited by Sewerage System Regulation or the Municipal Wastewater Regulation.

As the density proposed by this application is approximately 12 dwelling units per hectare, the proposal is consistent with the Bowser Village Plan from a density perspective.

When it comes to the development of private lands, it is up to an owner to decide if they would like to apply to the RDN to rezone the property to allow for development.

A second sign advertising the application was installed to be compliant with “Regional District of Nanaimo Development Application, Notification Procedures and Fees Bylaw No. 1845, 2022 (Bylaw 1845). As the property has two road frontages, two signs are required to comply with Bylaw 1845. 

The traffic impact assessment was based on a proposal that included a total of 72 residential units. The current proposal includes a total of 27 residential units. That said, based on 72 residential units, the traffic impact assessment estimated that a total of 72 vehicle trips per day would be generated. If these assumptions are correct, one could anticipate approximately 27 vehicle trips per day would be generated from the current proposal. 

The Traffic Impact Assessment submitted by the applicant was prepared in support of a previous version of the proposal which included 12 detached units, 46 townhouse units, and 14 duplex units. The previous proposal was significantly higher density than what is proposed now. Therefore, any potential traffic impact from the current proposal, which proposes 27 units would be less than what was identified in the report. 

Thank you for your comments. If you have any questions, we are happy to answer them here. 

Deep Bay Improvement District is the community water service provider in this area. The applicant is proposing to connect to the community water system.

Thank you for your question. RDN Bylaw 2500, the applicable zoning bylaw, includes off-street parking requirements that the proposed development would need to meet. It is anticipated that the parking requirements contained in Bylaw 2500 will be adequate to accommodate the potential parking demand.

It is suggested that you submit your comments using the application input tab. All input will be presented to the applicant and the Board for consideration. 

The proposal at this time is that each parcel would have its own sewage treatment system. However, the application has been referred to Island Health for comments which may result in a need for the applicant to make changes. 

With respect to potential purchasers, the RDN is not proposing any restrictions on who may purchase the lots/units in the proposed development. This is typically a decision that is made by the developer.

No sidewalks are being proposed at this time. As the RDN does not have jurisdiction over public road right-of-ways it is very difficult to achieve sidewalks. 

With respect to streetlights, the applicant is not proposing any at this time. Please note, streetlights may be discussed through the subdivision and development permit process at a later date. 

The draft zone specifies the general lot layout. The zone allows for modifications to the lot layout that are needed to accommodate aspects of subdivision such as site servicing and access.