Bowen Bulletin

The committee steering the Official community Plan (OCP) update has put out a number of background papers.

Paper #1 asks why we’re doing an update instead of a full review. It’s kind of funny. It notes that a full review could take fourteen to eighteen months (the update started last June and should be completed by next August). It notes that updates are often every five years but recognizes that we haven’t done anything for 14 years. Then it goes on to explain that we don’t have the planning staff or the money (a full review would cost three times as much as an update). However, it concludes that a full review could well follow an update. The update may point to which studies will have to be undertaken to facilitate a real review. It goes on to outline that we, like the rest of the western world, have an aging population, climate change, and a problem with affordable housing in desirable areas. So our plan update will incorporate “innovative planning tools” to ensure that we tackle sustainability and greenhouse gases.

Paper #2 discusses the fact that our OCP envisions a population cap. We have a land use plan that determines that there shall not be any more than 7,400 residents on Bowen Island. Other than California and Australia, B.C. is apparently the only jurisdiction that has communities that attempt to limit their ultimate population. Population caps usually apply to recreational areas that will be completely developed over a short period of time. We won’t get close to ours for decades so one wonders how it functions as a planning tool.

The paper also analyses a population projection done by BC Ferries. They project that the population of Bowen will increase by 547 people over the next 20 years. Considering that the population has grown by about 2,500 in the last 30 years this seems a bit unrealistic. However, when you consider that the capacity of the ferry controls the number of commuters that we have and that most of our population growth has been a result of the increase in the number of commuters, you can see how this may be a self-fulfilling prophesy. B.C. Ferries plans for increases in service based on projected growth. If they don’t project any growth they don’t increase the service and the population doesn’t grow because the population can’t rely on efficient transportation. What really makes it sweet for the ferries is that the small population increase that does occur will be retirees and on-island workers so, while they still buy ferry tickets, they don’t travel during the peak periods. The bonus is that there is also a growth in the number of people commuting from the mainland to Bowen to work. Given their projections, there will never be a need for a larger ferry and our run will just keep getting more and more profitable.

Paper #3 is anything but funny. It talks about density transfer. The concept of density transfer is simple enough once you understand that there are two different planning maps. One is the Land Use Bylaw that shows zoning. Zoning confers a legal right to the owner to create a certain number of building lots. The other planning map is the one found in the OCP which shows the number of lots that we, as a community, may consider creating some day. Here’s a typical density transfer scenario; Parcel “A” (the sending parcel) is zoned for five building lots while parcel “B” (receiving parcel) is flagged in the OCP as being able to accommodate four more lots than its current zoning allows.   So if council approves a rezoning, four density units from the sending property are transferred onto the receiving property. If this meant that a watershed was protected and six townhouses were built above the golf course, we might consider it good deal for all concerned. While density trading has been in our OCP since 1996, nobody has ever put together a rezoning using it. The main problem is that, while the neighbours in the area that isn’t going to be developed love the idea, the people who are going to see a bunch of additional houses built next door aren’t so keen on it. This discussion paper proposes that we should do more to make this concept work. It proposes that the number of units from the sending parcel wouldn’t have to be the number of units that it is zoned for, they could be the number of units shown on the OCP proposed density plan of 1982.

Let me explain why this is crazy. A property’s value is somewhat determined by its zoning. If an owner is to give away that value, he should be compensated. The density shown in an OCP is the community’s density. The community can decide to move it around as priorities and conditions change. To start paying people not to create lots that they aren’t yet allowed to create anyway is madness.

There are eight background papers. This only starts to cover the first three. Maybe it’s time for you to start taking this discussion seriously and go to the meetings at Cates Chapel this weekend. On Friday evening, John Gauld will give a talk titled Planning for Finite Island Communities. John will go into some of the tools available for managing development and protecting natural resources—specifically density transfer—and relate a few experiences from Salt Spring.