As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, certain changes to the Grandview Woodland Community Plan went to Council and were approved with almost no discussion. As was often the case with the old Vision Council that we voted out of office, the present Council continues to present long and complex documents as part of the changes they make.
They are often so complicated and so little publicised that almost anything can slip by in them with no chance for the general public to appreciate the consequences. It is only after careful reading, deep in the weeds, and usually after the approval has already been granted, that the full scope of problems can be assessed.
As Elizabeth Murphy notes in a mailing today: “Having had only a few days to review the report before it was considered at public hearing, it was only after the council approval that a few key issues were found buried in Appendix A below, with no reference in the body of the staff report.”
Her analysis follows:
“This removes the language in the final approved GW Plan that defined the duplex zoning to have disincentives to demolition and incentives for retention of character houses, as were implemented in the new RT5 zoning. The amendments remove this language and leave it open for RT5 to be changed to eliminate these aspects of zoning and still be able to claim it is consistent with the GW Plan. This would result in more demolition of character houses with suites. This amendment was not related to subsequent rezonings or the rezoning as part of the public hearing. This is a breach of process and sets a terrible precedent.”
This is a reminder to everyone that (a) Council documents for By-Law or CP Changes need to be made available at least two weeks in advance of a hearing; and (b) those interested need to read everything the City reveals. You never know what you might find in the deepest reaches of documents.
Many thanks to Elizabeth Murphy for her work and for allowing me to quote from it.