Hearings on Takhini North set for Monday

One vote against the city's proposed Local Improvement Charge (LIC) for water and sewage system work in Takhini North means a public hearing on the matter will be held Monday night.

One vote against the city’s proposed Local Improvement Charge (LIC) for water and sewage system work in Takhini North means a public hearing on the matter will be held Monday night.

City manager Dennis Shewfelt said Wednesday the city received a total of 10 ballots back on the issue by the Dec. 23 deadline. Nine were in favour, with one against.

Shewfelt would not say which property owner voted against the proposed charge.

The city is proposing to charge adjacent property owners for a portion of work on utilities upgrades.

Most individual property owners are expected to pay anywhere from $8,000 to $22,000, depending on the size of their property.

They must also pay for whatever work they need done to their homes to accommodate the new systems.

While the 10 votes represent few of the 70-plus residents affected by the LIC, ballots not received are considered to be in favour of the charge, Shewfelt pointed out.

A 50 per cent plus one vote against the LIC would have meant the charge couldn’t go ahead, leaving the city to foot the entire bill for the work or cancel the project.

In this case though, the majority voted in favour, though at least one person was against, necessitating the hearing.

“We already scheduled a public hearing for Monday,” Shewfelt said.

Monday’s session during council’s regular meeting will give residents a chance to address council on the plans to redevelop the utilities.

A report will then come forward to council later this month on what was said at the hearing. Members would then vote on second and third readings of the bylaw on Jan. 26, the city manager said.

Once the bylaw is passed, the city would then tender the work, with the detailed design proposed to be done in May.

It’s expected a pre-construction meeting would be held with the community before any physical work gets underway.

Construction would then start later in May and continue into October.

Along with a chance to speak on the plans for the existing Takhini North neighbourhood, the public will also have a chance to let council know what they think about the proposed zoning for new lots being added to the area.

The lots are proposed to be zoned specifically for the neighbourhood being either Residential Single-Family, Residential Multiple-Family, or Commercial Mixed-Use.

Spread over 32 hectares, the new zones would have more stringent guidelines than the more traditional zones.

Designed to be pedestrian-friendly and encourage a sense of community, porches and covered entries would be required, along with certain siding and trim features.

Garages would have to be set back from the front of the house, among other regulations.

Incentives for contractors who build to certain environmental standards are also proposed that would provide some leeway on building height, unit numbers, yard setbacks and/or lot coverage.

With the same timelines as the LIC bylaw, a public hearing report on the zoning will come to council on Jan. 19, with a vote on second and third readings to follow on Jan. 26.