Official Community Plan - Part Six Development Permit Areas Introduction

Part Six

Development Permit Areas

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AREAS

Introduction

The Local Government Act provides municipalities with the authority to establish a development permitting system. Unless exempted by this Plan or a zoning bylaw, any proposed building and subdivision within a Development Permit Area (DPA), shown on Schedule P, requires a development permit issued by the Town of View Royal. In accordance with the Local Government Act, this Plan sets out the special conditions that justify each DPA.

Development permits are one of the most effective legal tools for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas, avoiding development in hazardous conditions, and setting out expectations regarding “form and character” of development. Local governments may designate Development Permit Areas (DPAs) in an OCP. When an area is designated, the local government must describe the special site conditions or objectives that justify the designation, and specify guidelines to achieve those objectives.

This section sets out a number of Development Permit Areas for View Royal, and provides the justification for their designation.

The Town may designate Development Permit Areas under Section 919.1(1) of the Local Government Act for the following purposes:

a. Protection of the natural environment, its ecosystems and biological diversity; b. Protection of development from hazardous conditions; c. Protection of farming; d. Revitalization of an area in which a commercial use is permitted; e. Establishment of objectives for the form and character of intensive residential development; f. Establishment of objectives for the form and character of commercial, industrial or multi-family residential development; g. Establishment of objectives to promote energy conservation; h. Establishment of objectives to promote water conservation; and i. Establishment of objectives to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to ensure that the goals and objectives of View Royal regarding new development and natural areas are met, the OCP designates certain areas of the Town as Development Permit Areas as shown on Schedule P.

With respect to guiding form and character of development and promotion of energy conservation, four areas are designated as Development Permit Areas, consistent with the Land Use Designations shown on Schedule L:

• Mixed Residential.
• Neighbourhood Mixed Use.
• Intensive Mixed Use.
• Commercial.

Two Development Permit Areas, as shown on Schedule Q, have also been established for the protection of the natural environment and the protection of development from hazardous conditions:

• Natural Watercourse and Shoreline Areas.
• Sensitive Terrestrial Ecosystem Areas.