Rockland
Neighbourhood Association: Minutes of the Board
Meeting of Board of Directors
July 12th, 2006
Directors Present:, Linda Foubister, Dave Clark, Doris Schuh, Ethelyn
McInnes-Rankin, Susan Bartol-Drinker, Doreen Mueller, John Weaver,
Mitch Hammond
Regrets: Henry Phillips, Janet Simpson, Wayne Poohachoff, Frank Hess,
Guests: Councillor Bea Holland, Susan Lewis, Catherine Spencer, Lois
Johnson
Meeting called to order at 19:06
Agenda: Motion to accept (as
amended): (DC/SBD) Carried
Recreation renewal report
Secondary suites;
Quarterly Treasurer’s report
Move discussion of development proposal for 1322 Rockland forward.
New Business – venue
Minutes of June 14th: Motion to approve (as amended):
(JW/SBD) Carried
Move discussion from first motion to the second motion
Treasurer's Report
account balances
member - $7191.65
base - $651.21
garden - $2411.21
walking tour - $1729.86
Councillor's report
Bea is acting Mayor for July – little action on council
Secondary suites - continuing dialog - non-statutory public hearing,
probably in September
1322 Rockland will not be on agenda until August - currently in
Planning Department
Business arising from the Minutes.
City Recreation Forum was held June 20th. Susan Lewis volunteered to
represent the RNA, and presented this report:
40 years retrospective leads to vision of 20 years ahead.
“Indaba" facillitated, recorded and produced a summary report
5 topics, including
Milestones – Victoria had a phase of facility building, followed by
policy development.
Neighbourhood focus resulted in the dispersal of facilities
External impacts – Federal $, Capital vs. Ongoing operating costs
Key words to guide the future - accessible, sustainable, flexible
(potential for conversion), partnerships for broad "ownership"
Feedback on this consultation phase will lead to the next steps –
Plan and model,
Develop a process,
Strike a steering committee.
The Board discussed dispersal vs. a concentrated recreation precinct.
There were a variety of viewpoints expressed.
Demographic shifts will have a bearing on the nature and location of
facilities
1322 Rockland –
MH: Land Use Rezoning committee met June 27th with the proponent who
introduced a new proposal and amended rationale.
10% reduction in # of units (now 27) 4 in the main house; the coach
house, and 22 townhouses in clusters (similar to the cluster of 6 in
the previous proposal).
Pemberton Trail amenity – would use the driveway from Royal Terrace to
Rockland.
Reconfiguration of the lots so mansion is on a panhandle with 20 foot
frontage on Royal Terrace.
This is the material submitted to Mayor and Council May 15th (although
it hasn't got to councilors yet). The Committee discussed the proposal
and circulated their comments to the board.
Discussion:
Former City Solicitor (Jacob deVilliers) now retired, is reviewing the
details.
LJ: Visualization of the proposal is difficult, as no
3-dimensional model is available.
A floor-space ratio of 0.6 is typical – This proposed development
is double - 1.2
There are lots of different ways to say this is a large-scale proposal
– the question is how to deal with it in a constructive manner.
Would like to get RNA position on record and into the package that
council will consider in August.
Most likely it will be presented by planning to council on August 10th
(the next RNA meeting is Aug 9th)
Motion: (MH/DM) to accept the Land Use Committee (zoning) report as
amended to include Lois' comparison of volume, and send a copy to city
planning, to council and to the developer
Carried
Motion: (MH/DM) to have our analysis vetted by Jacob deVilliers, (to a
maximum cost of $750 tax in) and have that supporting legal advice
document included in our submission to Council.
Discussion –
The proponent has put forward her own legal opinion and we want to
balance that.
We want to document the amount of volunteer time spent on this file to
justify expending RNA base funds on legal opinion.
A contract between the board and Jacob de Villiers will ensure clarity
on two points – set the maximum expenditure, and waive the
client-solicitor privilege in order to ensure we can share the results
widely.
The long term value will be a document on the permanent record to guide
future developments.
This does not preclude complementary analysis by the city solicitor.
Carried
Motion: (SBD/MH) That the Land Use Strategy committee approach the city
solicitor to respond to unanswered questions relating to bylaw
interpretation. Carried.
Bowker sewer forcemain project: LF attended update meeting June
22. Route has been amended to follow back roads (Trent, Lee,
Madison, Lawndale)
Action: post the pdf file notice on our website, and a further notice
when
there is a firm date for an open house.
Secondary Suites - put off until September as a result of C.A.N.
pressure. CALUC sent out one letter on downtown boundary and another on
secondary suites. As a consequence, Council sees that collective CAN is
getting too powerful, and not fairly representing the constituency -
this may result in a greater reliance on focus groups as a more
representative sample.
Committee Reports
Land Use (zoning) – Received information on a variance on Shasta Place.
Another variance on Terrace Avenue – the Planning Department has
already signed off on the building height - a rooftop patio is
not considered to be living space, and doesn't count towards total
height.
Land Use (strategy) – the Hallmark Society is looking for
identification of any buildings or features that have historic or
architectural significance that we would like to see considered for
preservation.
Related Projects – Identification of historic values in Rockland to
strengthen the case for maintaining the environmental and residential
nature of the neighbourhood. (September start)
Communications:
No responses to the request for feedback on Secondary Suites issue
Need a back-up for web site update in Don's absence.
Need a link to Block watch and an e-mail that is linked to SBD's home
email
Newsletter - Deadline is July 31 for early September distribution
Safety - Block watch is growing - 69 residents in a new block, with 3
captains – Meeting at 1304 Manor Road. For others who are
interested in setting up a block watch in their area, contact SBD.
New Business
Asked to provide input into the criteria for selecting the new City
Manager. Desirable competencies include Vision, Leadership, and
Connection.
Venue – revert to the Volunteers’ Cottage until further notice. Clarify
the issue of insurance for our guests who are not members of the
association.
Correspondence
Email seeking board support of an Arts project in Fairfield –
“Café Fairfield” will be held once monthly providing a venue for
graphic and performance art. Funding is coming from the 2010 Legacy and
from the CRD.
Motion (EMR/DC) to draft a letter of support for the Fairfield
proposal. Carried
Email List – to send out a notice encouraging residents to complete
their Census Forms.
Date and time of next meeting
August 9th, 2006 at 7:00 pm at the Volunteers’ Cottage on Rockland
Avenue.
Close of meeting -
Motion: To adjourn (DC/JW)
Carried Meeting adjourned at
21:45