A public hearing for residents and property owners within electoral area D (Sproat lake) will be held tomorrow (Aug. 31) at 7 p.m. at the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District office, 3008 Fifth Ave.
The purpose of the hearing is to consider Bylaw P1348 which is associated with a subdivision proposal that would dedicate road and create five-acre parcels on a property on Katherine Drive, west of McCoy Lake.
The properties are split into two parcels. Parcel A is 86 hectares (213 acres) and Lot 1 is 16.5 hectares (40.77 acres). The properties are undeveloped forest land with no structures and significantly varying topography throughout the lands.
The applicant, Jason Heywood, is looking to rezone Parcel A and a portion of Lot 1 from Forest Rural (A3) District to Rural (A2) District. The current zoning requires a 10-acre minimum lot size for subdivision.
According to the rezoning application, the applicant’s intent is to dedicate road and subdivide eleven five-acre lots in phase one of the development with the potential for future subdivision.
“There is a distinct lack of five acre rural lots in the Alberni region on the market. The demand seems to be there. Each of the planned lots will have a southerly exposure and panoramic views. The building sites are planned to be situated on the open or mostly open rock benches that overlook the valley and can see all the way to distant city,” Heywod wrote in his proposal to the ACRD. “We will service each lot with a driveway, prepared building site, septic and water. We intend to build a demo home on lot one.”
Mapping from the Sproat Lake Official Community Plan indicates that there are two primary watercourses identified on the properties – Nook Creek dissecting the lands along the southern boundary and another creek and pond in the eastern portion of the main parcel which ultimately drain into Nook Creek.
Parcel A is not within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) while the majority of Lot 1 lies within the ALR. The property would be rezoned along the ALR boundary on Lot 1 to facilitate subdivision.
Anyone who feels their interest in property will be affected by the proposed bylaw will be given an opportunity to speak on matters contained in the bylaw.
Rezoning proposal for subdivision plans by Karly Blats on Scribd