CORRECTION
Those looking to voice their opinion on the town’s building height bylaw can now do so.
Smithers Council will be discussing potentially increasing the maximum height from 3 storeys to 4 at the next meeting on August 11th.
At their August 11th meeting, Smithers Council will be discussing the definition of “height” within the town’s bylaws and whether or not to replace the current meaning with another.
The Town made the following statement, in a release entitled “Public Opportunity to Provide Input – August 11th,” regarding the potential definition change:
“Bylaw No. 1776: Zoning Bylaw Text Amendment to remove the definition of height and replace it with the following definition:
“Height” means, with respect to a building, the maximum vertical distance between natural grade or approved grade and the highest point of the structure of a non-sloping roof, or the mid-point between the intersection point of the building wall and roof structure and ridge of a sloping roof excluding dormers.”
Town Planner Lilliana Dragowska said the following on the potential amendment:
“On August 11th as part of the Regular Council meeting Council will provide the opportunity for public comment on Bylaw No. 1776 being a bylaw to amend the definition of heights within the Town’s Zoning Bylaw. This definition change does not increase or decrease the allowable height within the municipality rather clarifies how the municipality interprets maximum height of all buildings and structures.”
The height definition in the “Zoning Text Bylaw Amendment” (Bylaw No. 1776) differs from the discussions within “Zoning Bylaw Amendment” (Bylaw No. 1773) regarding the a building’s legal height. Regarding the difference between the two, Dragowska said:
“I believe where the confusion is arising, is that the Bryton Group has applied for a rezoning application under Zoning Bylaw Amendment No. 1773 to increase the maximum allowable height from 3 storeys, or 12m to 4 storeys or 16m . This application is currently on hold as the Town is waiting for a traffic study and a viewscape impact analysis from the applicant before proceeding to a public hearing.”
Mayor Taylor Bachrach confirmed in a statement on Facebook that neither the traffic study nor viewspace impact analysis will be available for the August 11th Council meeting and, therefore, this will not be the date of the public hearing. Smithereens will have a chance to voice their opinions at a later date when Council has, and can share, this information.
MooseFM is sorry for the misreported information and will notify the public of the accurate public hearing date.