Residents on a Delta residential street, where homeowners almost two decades ago managed to get their area downzoned to prevent large houses from getting built, want to get back to more generous zoning.
Council last week discussed a planning department report on a rezoning application process for a recent petition from residents of 110th Street, between 78th and 79A avenues.
In 2004, the homeowners at the time submitted a petition to council requesting that their properties be downzoned to prevent single-detached dwellings larger than 2,497-square-feet from being constructed in their immediate neighbourhood.
As a result, the properties were rezoned, imposing further restrictions on development, such as density maximums and greater minimum side setback requirements. Secondary suites were also prohibited.
Council at the time subsequently also adopted a new neighbourhood petition and rezoning procedure, which provided a standard process and requirements for such petitions.
Based on that process, six neighbourhoods, all within North Delta, also underwent rezoning by the process. They are also currently zoned to be more restrictive than the majority of standard residential zones.
Fast forward to 2023, and a request has been submitted indicating that 19 of the 26 landowners on either side of the section of the street are seeking rezoning of the properties to match the surrounding lots.
Staff note that the request proposes to rezone the properties to a the single detached residential 2 (RS2) zone, however, unlike the surrounding lots, the existing lots do not meet the minimum lot size requirements in the RS2 Zone.
The request to council also includes reducing the requirement of having 75 per cent landowner support, as only 73 per cent of the landowners have currently expressed support.
The report notes that support from 20 landowners would be required to meet the 75 percent threshold, but currently 19 of the 26 landowners support the change.
In an application review process, every landowner would be contacted, invited to submit correspondence and have opportunities to discuss the rezoning proposal with staff.
Staff recommend accepting the new petition and allowing the neighbourhood to initiate a rezoning application.
Council agreed to move the application forward.
Staff will initiate a consultation process, including a notification to the full neighbourhood and surrounding properties.
