The last four years on Council have been extremely challenging. The Covid pandemic, drought conditions, rampant inflation, tourism pressures, the list goes on and on. There are many things that have been accomplished in the last four years despite those challenges, but where do we go from here? I see several main priorities for the District of Sechelt:
- Ask the Province for the District of Sechelt to be included in the Speculation & Vacancy Tax program. We need to start turning empty houses into homes for people. Any tax revenue collected from the SVT goes directly into funding BC Housing programs, so even if people decide to leave property vacant, they’re contributing towards a solution to the problem. If the other governments of the Sunshine Coast can’t be convinced of the benefits, Sechelt needs to be willing to go it alone. We don’t need studies on this. We simply need the will to move forward with a request to the Province.
- Prioritize an OCP update. Now that the Zoning Bylaw refresh is completed, it’s time to move on an OCP update. The OCP is intended to be our guiding document on where we’re headed as a community. Where we want to see density, working waterfronts, neighbourhood centres, environmental protection, and so much more. Our OCP is from 2011, and never considered a housing crisis, problematic short term rentals, and work from home situations. It’s critical that our primary planning tool for the District of Sechelt actually considers the housing crisis, and leverages those tools to help develop family friendly, attainable housing in different forms. Our community associations already know what works and doesn’t work in our neighbourhoods. Let’s partner with them to effect some change for the better.
- It’s imperative that we make changes to legally permit one RV to be used as long term accommodation on any residential lot that can support the set backs and servicing requirements. We know that people are already doing this throughout our community. We’re in a crisis when it comes to housing options. It’s time that we make it legal so people don’t have to hide. Some people believe that RV’s are only for the downtrodden, or should be hidden away or only used for weekend getaways, but I know that RV’s can be used for long term accommodation, especially in our moderate climate. I’m a co-owner of an RV park in a part of British Columbia where it frequently gets below -20 Celsius in the winter, and our guests are all long term residents.
- The District of Sechelt needs to work towards greater transparency to its residents. We are a community filled with many very intelligent professionals. Engineers, technology specialists, or even just hobby enthusiasts, these are individuals with a passion in their field, and the District of Sechelt needs to take better advantage of their willingness to participate. The District of Sechelt funds technical studies and reports on an annual basis across a variety of disciplines, and unless they need to be held confidential due to legal or labour reasons, they should be automatically published for any member of the public to see. For example, it shouldn’t require an Freedom of Information request to see a report about the Dusty Rd septage receiving station.
- We need to push for greater walkability within and between our neighbourhoods. Some parts of our community are decently connected, with further improvements coming soon, but there are parts of our community, like Field Rd or Sandy Hook, that are sorely lacking in pedestrian amenities.
- Sechelt is a great candidate for a revitalization tax exemption program for our downtown core to encourage commercial properties to renovate, add on, or redevelop with some residential uses. An RTE program is not intended to cost a municipality in tax revenue. Rather, a redeveloped property pays taxes based on the value prior to any improvements that were made. The reduced tax bill is phased out over a number of years. This gives property owners additional funds to pay for the improvements to their property, making it easier to encourage people to live downtown.
Do you have other ideas for priorities for the District of Sechelt over the next four years? Let’s chat.