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Harrison Hot Springs council reverses course on OCP revisions

It’s back to first reading by a 4-1 vote
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Harrison council met on Tuesday, March 14, in a Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss the Official Community Plan revisions. (Screenshot/Village of Harrison Hot Springs)

It’s back to the drawing board for Harrison’s Official Community Plan (OCP) update.

During a recent Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, Harrison Hot Springs councillors voted 4-1 to send the updated draft of the OCP back to first reading. Only Coun. John Buckley was opposed.

During last week’s CoW meeting, Wood claimed the OCP up for discussion had been altered since it was given its third reading last September.

“No amendments should be done to something that has already gone through first to third readings without a resolution from council,” Wood said. “I picked up one item right away, and it just concerns me; I don’t know what else has been changed on it. To make amendments to a bylaw as it goes through this process is a serious administration issue. For that reason alone, and I’ve made it public before, I would like to see the OCP defeated.”

RELATED: ‘No rush’ to approve critical OCP revisions: Harrison Hot Springs Council

The OCP is a living document that is periodically updated to provide general guidelines toward future growth and development in the village, based on resident feedback. The object of the OCP is to track what issues are most important to villagers, such as housing, parking and environmental preservation. Planning consultant Ken Cossey told council that courts do not view OCPs not looked at as land use regulatory tools, although they are regarded as blueprints and high-level development plans.

During last week’s meeting, the council went through the OCP one page at a time. Two hours and 13 pages into the review, Wood concluded that there was still a long road of discussion – both among officials and the public – ahead.

“I don’t know the date when our planner was first asked to start the update of our Official Community Plan, but it seems we really fast-tracked this whole process,” Wood said. “I’m a strong believer in public input; I really want to hear what people have to say.”

At that point, Wood proposed to rescind the readings of the OCP to give council more time to discuss.

Coun. Leo Facio, former mayor, disagreed that the OCP draft was fast-tracked and commended. However, he said he agreed with Coun. Allan Jackson that the OCP is something that’s crucial to get right.

“We should rescind, go again to a public hearing and see what the public has to say and then move forward with council to get this plan finished by this year,” Facio said.

Buckley said there’s been a lot of time and effort put into the draft OCP update. His hopes were to press on with the review to determine if there were enough change to warrant a public hearing.

As is, according to Cossey, the changes discussed at the CoW were administrative and are not on their own enough to change the intent of the OCP revisions bylaw. A change in the bylaw’s intent would trigger a public hearing.

RELATED: Harrison to begin review of official community plan in 2020

Wood pointed out three members on the current council were not part of the planning of this OCP update. He also said, under the law, councillors are not permitted to speak to members of the public.

“The three of us have a lot of questions and concerns and we would like to hear again from the public,” he said. “We cannot have any further public comments as per the Local Government Act and the Charter, which is unfortunate. The only part we can do is talk with each other and talk to staff. I would like to really get the public involved and hear more from them.”

Harrison Hot Springs has had only five OCPs throughout its history. The first was developed in 1964 with a second in 1979, amended in 1985 and 1995. The current OCP was adopted in 2007 – 16 years ago.

The draft OCP received its first reading late last August before it went to a public hearing the following month. The OCP was not adopted as the 2022 election was right around the corner, and the outgoing council agreed to defer the final decision to the newly elected council.

In January, Jackson moved to table further discussion until at least mid-February; he said this would allow council newcomers to thoroughly examine the document. The council voted 4-1 to table the vote (Mayor Ed Wood opposed).



adam.louis@ ahobserver.com

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