10/24/2024
Inside this Edition....
1. ASIC Potluck End of Summer Party
2. Traffic Counter Project
3. Savary Island Community Plan
4. IP Boat Ramp Update
1. ASIC Potluck End of Summer Party
Thanks to everyone who attended our end of summer party. We had a lot of fun and good conversation and plan to make this an annual event.
2. Traffic Counter Project
We completed the final data collection of traffic on October 4th and are currently waiting on final results from the City of Powell River.
3. Savary Island Community Plan
The qRD has entered into the Phase 2 Planning stage of updating the Savary Island Community Plan which they hope to have completed by mid 2025. This topic has become front and centre over recent days and has created a stir of emotions amongst property owners on social media platforms, and rightfully so. There has been a very well thought out and researched informational document circulating about the implications of the Tetra Tech Slope Hazard report should it ever be used in a future Land Use Regulation introduced by the Regional District under the Local Government Act. This has been dismissed as "fake news". It is not fake and very carefully describes a scenario we could face sometime in the near future.
At heart of the controversy is the Slope Hazard Study completed by Tetra Tech last year and the associated set back recommendations in three defined Hazard Zones around the perimeter of Savary Island. An important thing to note here is that an individual lot setback is also based upon the qRD Coastal Flood Mapping report, prepared by Tetra Tech in 2021. This report forecasts potential future coastal flooding and erosion in the year 2100 and it projects a 1 meter sea level rise around Savary Island. The set back recommendations in the slope hazard study references this "2100 natural boundary" as the basis for set back calculations for individual lots in each of the three defined hazard zones around Savary Island. The recommended set backs are as follows:
1) Red Zone - greater of 15 m or 2 x slope height + 2100 natural boundary offset
2) Yellow Zone - greater of 15 m or 1.5 x slope height + 2100 natural boundary offset
3) Green Zone - greater of 15 m or slope height + 2100 natural boundary offset
As an example, a 150 foot lot on the high bank slope of 140 feet, and a Natural Boundary Offset of 130 feet results in the following setback calculation: 130 feet NBO +280 feet (2 x slope height) = 410 feet!
Use the following link to access the full Tetra Tech Slope Hazard study report and determine if your lot falls within one of the hazard zones and what your potential setback could be:
Slope Hazard:https://www.qathet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023_Savary-Island-Slope-Hazard-Study.pdf
So what does this all mean ? When questioned by ASIC, the qRD has gone on record and stated they are not working on a zoning bylaw and regulations in the current Community Plan review. However , they did state in an October 13th 2023 Planning report , repeated in the Powell River Peak on November 30th of last year , that the qRD board has accepted the Tetra Tech Slope Hazard study as an important background study for the upcoming official community plan review and update process . If they include this report in the OCP update it does pave the way for future Land Use Regulation and bylaws and those regulations would be bound by the contents of the community plan. If this were to happen , many lots around the perimeter of Savary Island and many inland lots close to these perimeter lots would be classified as "non conforming". This could potentially severely restrict the use of your property and kill a lot of dreams of owning a home on our beautiful island paradise. We have to ask ourselves about the potential personal financial impacts as well, such as the impact on property value and insurance costs.
We know this may not apply directly to Savary Island, but the BC Government announced in 2014 that all land contracts between government and owners would be phased out and eliminated by June 30th, 2024 and to be replaced by zoning bylaws to govern land use in the province. This is a small excerpt from their website:
"A local government must not hold a public hearing if a proposed zoning bylaw is consistent with the official community plan (OCP) in effect for the area. Where there is not consistency with the OCP, a local government must hold a public hearing on a proposed zoning bylaw, including amendments to the bylaw."
So what our next steps? It feels like we have a bit of a fight on our hands. When looking at public opinion recently , via social media and community discussion, we see a small number of property owners pushing for more restricted land use and a majority , large number of property owners are adamantly against it. Most property owners understand the need to manage erosion issues on Savary, but using an individual's private property to achieve it is very wrong. Ultimately, we need to question the validity of the Tetra Tech Slope Hazard report and whether it should be included as part of the OCP review and update.
The qRD has a community survey live until October 31st. Please complete this as soon as you can. The survey is a little vague and does not cover the Slope Hazard report but you can certainly use the comment sections to ask about the underlying impacts. Use this link to access the survey:
qRD Survey: https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=2CA36F04-8B7E-41B5-BC84-FF3781094DF9
We will be asking the qRD another series of questions tomorrow (October 25th) and asking for comments before the survey ends. We will also be working on an official position to be sent to the qRD on behalf of the entire community . The questions are as follows:
1) is the qRD intending to use last years Tetra Tech slope hazard study and the associated set back recommendations in the Savary Island Community Plan?
2) if this Study is included and adopted into the community plan, would any future And Use Regulation be bound by the community plan ?
3) will the qRD be referencing the Thurber Report which was a large part of the 2006 OCP?
4) would the qRD be willing to explain potential impacts to property owners in each of the three hazard zones if and before its included in the community plan ?
5) is the qRD considering a Land Use Regulation after the community plan review and update is finalized and adopted?
We really need to make our voice heard and heard loud as we go through the next phases of the OCP review and update. If these recommendations go forward , many property owners will face a lot of risk to their properties becoming useless and worthless.
Send Comments to: [email protected]
4. IP Boat Ramp Replacement
Repairs to the IP Boat Ramp are now complete.
Work on the IP Boat ramp took place on October 1 and 2. Patrick Devereaux, the qRD Manager of Operational Services, reported that costs of removing and disposing of the old ramp were going to be enormous. They were also going to be required to do an archaeological assessment/supervision contract and and environmental monitoring and permitting required by DFO. The existing ramp, while ugly in parts was still solid and useful as a supporting base for the top up. The Management Plan for the lease required the RD to maintain the current footprint.
The costs is yet to be determined as some of the work in the estimated did not occur due the changes noted above.
Your ASIC Directors,
Bud, Doug, Joan, Catherine, Jennifer, and Wayne
Please send comments or questions to [email protected]
Website: http://www.savaryisland.ca/asic
Our mailing address is:
Association of the Savary Island Committee
PO Box 222
Savary Island, BC V0N 2G0
Canada
ABOUT ASIC The Association of the Savary Island Community (ASIC) is a dedicated committee representing the lovely community of Savary Island. ASIC aims to represent its members in dealings with government and other groups, provide advice to government agencies on managing the island's services, push...
