Public Comments
hi John thanks for the response and encouraging to see that there is scope for future revisions please join me if you can at my presentation this coming Sunday (November 5) at municipal hall on the bc energy step code and electric vehicles
Hi James, The most common requests we received through our consultation were for rental housing. Our proposal includes the provision of 45 rental units, which will be multifamily in buildings up to a max of six units. We also heard that many islanders were looking for smaller homes that they could downsize into but still wanted the independence of a single family home, albeit in a tighter community. For this reason we have included 30 homes that will be limited to a maximum size of 1200 sq. ft. (this is the same size as the accessory buildings now allowed on lots over .9 of an acre). Some of these will be clustered together with common grounds and parking. We also have 6 larger homes that can be developed into 6-unit seniors homes. The remaining single family homes, which do make up a significant portion of the development, are limited to 1800 sq ft and sit on smaller lots. This has enabled us to give up 237 acres as public greenspace out of the 350 acres in the development. There was also concern about the overall numbers. If we were to go from single family to multifamily the numbers would need to go up significantly, and this would increase the concerns around rural feel, septic, water, transportation, competition with the cove etc. We expect our rezoning to complete in 2017 and our first phase to begin in 2018. That said, the development will buildout over the next 10 years, and there is plenty of time to adjust future phases to meet the changing needs of the community. Cheers, John
Hi John, Can you help me understand why you are not considering more attached housing forms in your development? Several sets of row houses of 12 units, for example, four-plexes in clusters with community space between. When I look at your plans I see yet more of the same, I see a development model that we don't need any more of. Lots of little roads, little driveways leading to single buildings. Attached forms could open up opportunities for, example, a co-op style shared vehicle, or for the shared agriculture and gardening you envision. The Wolfgang experiment with micro-homes demonstrates quite clearly that you cannot reduce construction costs unless you share a foundation or a roof structure, service connections, and more. Is it not possible to do this and make enough profit under current zoning? Market demand is clearly there. What are the barriers? Thank you.
Any positions taken on proposed Guest House Zone?
In reply to Daniel Heald, (read his letter here): Hi Daniel, thanks so much for your input. Here are some responses to keep the conversation going. I’ve paraphrased your questions a little to save space. I’ve been talking with people on the island for a couple of years now about what they’d like to see in the Grafton area. So most of the ideas presented reflect what people are asking for, within the constraints of the location. Appropriate Uses Will Grafton become an alternative village centre? I get your concern about competing with the Cove, but think it’s unlikely to have much impact. No-one has asked for a new restaurant or other types of shops, and so those aren’t in our proposal. People have said a lot about walkable communities, the desire to expand agriculture, the crucial need for affordable housing and the urge to help grow the island economy in a way that doesn’t undermine the natural environment. So the idea behind providing office space and daycare is to create the possibility for a person to live, work and find child support all within a walkable area. Their shopping, eating out, banking and other activities will still happen in the Cove. The Commons project will have an outlet for fresh vegetables of some kind. But it’s a collective project to support island agriculture, to create synergy rather than competition. We don’t see it as a store as such, just a seasonal market. There is one already at BICS on summer weekends for example. The idea of offices is that people could live very near by and avoid the distractions of a home office. If it could attract a digital company from off-island to set up shop, that could help the island economy. The Orchard Recovery Centre wants to grow. Is this a good reason for the 139 unit development? The O.R.C. expansion doesn’t depend on the overall development, but makes sense to do during the same rezoning process. The Orchard is a Bowen success story, is quiet, solves social issues and employs alot of people. We’re very comfortable having them as a neighbour. I struggle with the beautiful White Swan public orchard and the Commons… I can't get gardeners to garden 511 Sunset Rd and it is free! I understand it may be difficult to create a community centre for growing our food - but feel it’s a worthwhile endeavour and will become more important in future. We’ll be providing 500k in seed funding over the next decade to support its material costs. We look forward to joining with other Bowen agriculturalists to improve conditions for all. Water Does it truly make sense to place the largest new development on Bowen Island around the island's watershed? Grafton Lake is the water source for the Cove Bay water system, and for the residents of any future Grafton community. The watershed around it is home to activities of all kinds, as well as people, beavers, horses, dogs and machinery. So we had the following ideas:
- preserve as much natural space around the lake as possible
- provide support for a new water treatment plant by contributing land
- join the Cove Bay water system, providing hookup fees of about $1,000,000 which will help underwrite the cost of the treatment plant
- conduct environmental, geotechnical, water and other studies and make them public
Hi Jessica, we have been giving a lot of thought on how to add in affordability to this project, and Council as well is giving serious consideration to the use of accessory buildings being allowed for residential use. I think the micro home fits into this category. To make the primary residence affordable you need to build smaller on small lots, allowing micro homes or very small permanent homes on these lots as well is a good way to further build in diversity of housing as well as affordability. I could see some small homes being built where they also rent out a space for a micro home in their yard. This would enable the micro home to benefit from roads, power sewer etc. already being in place. Council will be discussing these points later this month which we hope will give us a clearer path forward. On your comment of the pantry and a place to sell home grown foods, we certainly will be looking at these ideas as well. Thanks for your comments. John R
I would love to see at least ten tiny houses that are 150-300sq for young couples/singles who can only afford a house for $30,000-$50,000. As a young adult I see this as being an affordable option and something I wouldn't blink at taking a loan out for. This is a viable option for those who don't want to live and spend all there hard earned money on rental units/apartment buildings. Compared to other buildings they have very limited impact on the surrounding environment and you can stick them in anywhere without doing much clearing. Small living also promotes healthier living by buying less and getting outdoors more. I would also love to see a pantry built near the farm area for storage of home grown foods and a place to sell them. It could be built out of cob, hemp, drift wood, or sand bags. Jess
Hi Wynn I agree completely and we will make sure that we include these kind of spaces. We will also be trying to provide as much ground-oriented housing as possible and there will not be any rental more than one story up from grade. John
Dear Grafton Lake YOU HAVE INCLUDED A SPACE FOR AN INN / PRESENTATION CENTRE. HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTING THIS FACILITY TO PROVIDE. I THINK THE LOCATION IS IDEAL AND OVER ALL THIS IS A THOUGHTFUL EFFORT TO CREATE A TRULY GREAT DEVELOPMENT. LARY WALDMAN LARY.WALDMANN51@GMAIL.COM