Yes, it would still need to go through the public hearing process.
That’s the Delta planning staff response this week to a concern raised by an angry Tsawwassen resident that a proposed townhouse development fronting the Beach Grove Golf Club could skip a public hearing if granted preliminary approval by council.
Last week council agreed, until an alternative approach to holding public hearings is available during the COVID-19 pandemic, to waive public hearings for rezoning applications which are consistent with the Official Community Plan, routine in nature and where applications have not received a substantial volume of correspondence in opposition.
People can still submit comments on applications in writing.
The provincial government acknowledged that local governments need to be able to function and make necessary decisions and that more flexibility is needed in some procedural requirements so that they could make decisions, but, at the same time, important principles of transparency and accountability still need to guide local government actions.
The Tsawwassen resident raised alarm that means council could bypass a public hearing when it comes to the proposed townhouse development.
A staff response reiterated council will consider waiving public hearings for rezoning applications which are consistent with the OCP, routine in nature and where Delta has not received a substantial volume of correspondence in opposition, but waiving public hearings will be temporarily considered on a case-by-case basis for applications such as rezonings to allow a subdivision into two residential lots.
The Beach Grove townhouse proposal, though, would not qualify for the public hearing to be waived because an OCP amendment is required.
“The application has not yet been referred to a public hearing. Further guidance from the province is anticipated on options for future public hearings, however, Delta would not be considering waiving the public hearing for this project,” according to the planning staff correspondence.
“All public input received on this application would be summarized for council and presented when the application is brought forward for their consideration at a future date. When/if the application proceeds to public hearing, there will be public notice provided in the form of mailed out notices to the Beach Grove neighbourhood, newspaper ads, and advertising on Delta’s website."
The proposed 22-unit development along 16th Avenue has gotten both support as well as opposition from area residents.
The city originally received a subdivision application in 2017 to build 10 single-family homes on surplus golf club land.
Beach Grove intended to conclude the sale only after the developer received conditional approval from Delta.
A consultation process for that earlier application was endorsed by council in January 2018.
The application was later revised for 22 townhouses.
The application is to subdivide a portion of 5847 12th Ave. and consolidate it with 5766 16th Ave. in order to construct the townhouses on the development site.
The remainder of the property would continue to be a part of the Beach Grove Golf Course.
