A section of Main Street North that was incorrectly zoned in 1979 is making it difficult for some homeowners to acquire mortgages or insurance, but that error could soon change.
When city council adopted the zoning bylaw in 1979, that decision turned a five-block stretch from Oxford Street to Saskatchewan Street into an Institutional Zone (I) even though this area was historically zoned for single-family and multi-family dwellings under the original zoning bylaw.
Since then, city hall has been unable to find any records to explain the creation of this large institutional area. In 2010, city council adopted the current zoning bylaw, which maintained the zoning as Commercial Service/Institutional District (CS).
That error has now been addressed, as council voted unanimously during its June 14 regular meeting to have city administration proceed with a public notice to amend the Official Community Plan to change the designation of Main Street North to residential from commercial.
Council also voted to waive the requirement for large signs to be posted in the area since residential development already exists and waive the need for public information sessions about this change due to pandemic-related public health regulations.
City administration explained that the CS zoning is “inappropriate” for the area based on the current residential land use and long-term land-use patterns. Moreover, the CS district does not allow new one-unit or multi-unit dwellings.
Fifty-one properties will be affected by this zoning change, include one boarding apartment, four multi-unit dwellings and 46 one-unit dwellings, a council report said. The proposed change will legalize the existing uses and make it easier for property owners to acquire mortgages and insurance.
Changing the zoning requires a few extra steps, such as bringing forward a bylaw to amend the future land use map, having the Ministry of Government Relations approve the change, providing council with another report and then bringing forward the zoning bylaw amendment, explained Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development.
“So it’s a fairly lengthy process, but we think it’s the right process and corrects some of that inappropriate zoning there,” she said.
This problem was not caught in 2010 when council adopted the current zoning bylaw since this is a big area and it has been carried forward ever since 1979, Sanson added. While the zoning of the 51 residential properties will be fixed, no existing commercial properties in that area will be affected.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 28.
