Meeting of Board of Directors
December 3, 2003
Friends of Government House Meeting Room

Directors Present:  Catherine Spencer, Brian Allen, Doris Schuh, Dave Clark,
Leida-Marie Grant, Helmut Hissen, Jane Lunt.

Directors Absent: Susan Bartol-Drinker, Leigh Large, Kathryn LeSueur, Ethelyn  McInnes-Rankin, Cecilia Peters, Frank Ryan, Pam Tobin, Walter Yeo.

Guests:  Councillor Chris Coleman; Planners, Doug Koch and Brian Sikstrom

At 7:30 p.m. there was a presentation by Doug Koch and Brian Sikstrom, followed by discussion.

Doug Koch:
Planning Staff: Alison Meyer (Greenways) is on maternity leave; Lucina Barrett,
Steve Barber, (Heritage), Joe Daly (parks planning, transportation), Kim Fowler (regulatory services, also a planner).
Work for this year -
• Alison Meyer began Greenways plan, adopted and ready for implementation
but the initiative needs a full time parks planner - waiting for budget.
• Heritage strategic plan needs a half time position for implementation.
• Noise abatement bylaw amended and is more enforceable.
• Housing affordability strategy.
• Economic development initiative.
• Zoning bylaw and associated maps are on the web.
      Downtown plan and other recent plans are there.
• "Dockside" Heavy industrial zoning (Tyee Road and Rock Bay area) is being reviewed
• Density bonus policy review.  (draft has been around since 1995).
• Tempus-prospero Geographic Information System (computer mapping)
      - capability for staff is huge.  Also have plotter.
• Stats Can data, sorted by neighbourhood to be available soon.
• Front counter modified to improve client service.
• Centennial square under development to house CRD.

Downtown 2020 conference - actions:
• update plan.
• alcohol stores have new guidelines for application.
• Casino - only one will be allowed.

Workplan for next year - looking for ideas.
LMG - Will the City be allocating staff for long term planning?
(Answer). City is reviewing the planning function and time spent on reviewing applications.

Brian Sikstrom:
• Attended last year's AGM.  Favourably impressed with level of participation; values our input.
• 1322 Rockland - lots of energy for a proposal that was abandoned.  Now sold but no submission to planning
• St. Charles Manor Care Home - application is still in process.
• Verrinder properties - option to buy, will look at development potential.
Heritage, density, access, other issues.
• 1045 Joan Crescent nursing home expansion.
• Fort at Carberry Gardens town houses complete.
• Pemberton town houses complete.
• City criteria for nursing homes not on the work plan for the coming year.
• B&B policy now working well.
• Small lot housing - no applications in Rockland.
• Richardson Street panhandle development - still some neighbour issues.
• Gonzales has a R1G zone, specific to that neighbourhood.
(First since Rockland's R1A and R1B
• Gorge Road motel conversions awaiting a vision. (residential/commercial mix?)
•Vic West area where zoning does not reflect the plan.

Questions from the zoning committee - triggered by St. Charles Manor process:
• How long can an application be active after referral to Committee of the Whole? - (Answer: no limit)
• What are the next steps after a motion of APC - to refer an item to council? (Answer: to Committee of the Whole,  then to Council, then back to other referral committees)

HH: Are aerial photos available from the City?
(Answer: Tom Pembernat 361-0283 or Dwayne Blewett. for orthophotos)

HH: The new informal group of Neighbourhood Land Use Committee Chairs is looking forward to meeting (next Tuesday) Any problem working with citizen-based initiatives? Cooperative action should result in consistency in Neighbourhood Association dealings with city. (and welcomed from the developers). Initiative flowed out of "planning 101"
(Answer: development and rezoning application forms re-designed (part of harmonization across municipalities) based on CAN initiative and feedback).
City process Step 2 asks developer to demonstrate that they have consulted the Neighbourhood Association (whereas we want to wait until there is a formal application with details explicit)
City would like the developer keep the Neighbourhood Association up-to-date on design modifications as the application moves through various design panels.

Initial meeting with the neighbours should have some assessment of neighbour reaction, preferably with hard copy designs, etc, or at least a verbal description of the intended development.  Then, by the time the proposal gets to Council, the developer has some reading of local issues.
The Neighbourhood Association is positioned to provide the service of information broker between developer and immediate neighbours.

This mismatch between our processes has no mutually acceptable resolution. The Neighbourhood Association wants more concrete plans, therefore wait until the application is submitted to City, because City has the standards for what is required in the application.

The City wants the Neighbourhood Association to provide a process that allows for an iteration or two to improve the manner in which the application addresses neighbourhood concerns.
Would it be valuable for the land use committee to prepare an interpretation of the plan directed towards developers?  (Answer: the current plan has such a digest; it is not onerous)

Do you propose that the Neighbourhood Association process should be less formal and provide an uncharged forum for iteration?  (Answer: the "Miller" development is a model for how to proceed - one-on-one meetings with affected neighbours, book-ended with follow-up after the development to determine if the development appropriately incorporated their feedback. Satisfaction determined through an exit survey).

City Council and City Planners have different needs and expectations of the letter that the Neighbourhood Association writes to accompany the developer's application. (Discussion on Neighbourhood Association styles - advocacy versus facilitators).  Neighbourhood Association recommendations reflect on attendees, on those who did not attend, on the plan, on the regional growth planner.  Basically, to be an advocate, you need some professional capacity as a planner.  Usually Neighbourhood Associations are not currently equipped to be advocates.

The Neighbourhood Association must ensure that there is interaction between the neighbours and the developers and that dialogue takes place in an atmosphere where opinions are freely given and received.  (facilitator role)

LMG - given population of over 3000 and a big meeting draws 200 we are conscious that the silent majority is not represented, so we put our efforts into creating and refining a good, broadly supported planning document to guide our efforts.

Doug Koch: council has never defined the role.
Chris Coleman: suggests we structure the letter in definite sections:
• "in our facilitation role, we observe, report ..." -
• in our overview here are the implications - how we see it in light of the plan's guidance.

 Doug Koch and Brian Sikstrom left the meeting.
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Meeting brought to order at  20:58

1.  Agenda:  Motion: (BA/DC:) approval of agenda   Carried

2. Minutes of October 8, 2003:
Motion:  (BA/LMG:) approval of the minutes   Carried

3. Financial Report
Motion:  (HH/BA:) acceptance of the financial report Carried

4. Correspondence:
Friends of Government House - time to renew membership
Motion:  (LMG/DC:) approve funds to renew membership  Carried
Cary Bulletin
Christmas Lights Across Canada Celebration notice
Information on Bonus Density Variances offset by community amenities
Discussion on the ability of Neighbourhood Association volunteers to have sufficient depth of understanding on such technical issues to be able to respond appropriately on short notice.

5. Councillor's Report: Chris Coleman:
•Neighbour asked for police response to alarms - how has this been implemented?
• Neighbour wanted enforcement of noxious weed bylaw for a laurel hedge.
May have to reframe the bylaw.  Solicitor is looking into it
• Her Honour asked about the totem pole that was moved to the conference centre. "We should have one commissioned for Government house.
There may be a fundraising component with a target 2005 completion date.

Chris Coleman left the meeting at 21:15.

6. Committee Reports:

 Community Association Network:
•Meeting held Nov. 17th
•Oaklands NA concerned about Garry Oak removal. City Arbourist responded detailing the City's standard procedures.
• December 17th meeting will be held at City Hall - all invited to attend

 Garden:
•Janet Simpson and Bill Scott continue to transplant salvaged native plants into the garden
•City delivered five cubic yards of topsoil; volunteers distributed the soil to specified areas within the upper garden.
•Subcommittee working on proposals for signage and a railing;
will report out at January Board meeting.

 Environment:  no report

 Land Use:  Leida-Marie Grant
 Written Land Use committee report circulated.
• 910 Richmond panhandle subdivision.  No further news.
• 1322 Rockland sold to new buyer;
no application for rezoning received by City.
• St. Charles Manor.  Application submitted to Heritage Committee and Design Committee. Subsequently sent back to architect for revision.
• Draft reply to letter from Brian Stoodley,
Motion: (BA/HH) Approve draft response  Carried
• Procedure for rezoning and other land use applications deferred  to incorporate feedback from City planner

 Social: report from Cecilia Peters
• 69 attended social gathering at Craigdarroch Castle
• $595 in expenses ($65.76 printing 1214 for catering,).
• Thank you letter sent to Cook's Day Off and Craigdarroch Castle
Motion: (LMG/JL) approve expenditure of funds to purchase and send flowers to Cecilia in thanks for her efforts  Carried

Newsletter: HH report
• reviewed sample newsletters for different Neighbourhood and Community Associations.
- Discussion: Ads or no? newsprint or bond?
DS: Newsletters are getting expensive - something has to give.
Issues include the amount of effort required to maintain the number of newsletters per year; the content required to fill those newsletters; the effort required to soliciting advertising.
• HH will handle content.  Mike Hannah wants to help with the art and layout.

Motion: (BA/DC) Approve a run in an eight-sheet newsprint format, and use volunteers with fundraising experience to sell ad space.  Carried

Submit suggestions for content to Helmut by December 18th

 Traffic and Safety: no report
• HH will ask police to ticket and sign speeders on Rockland

Land Use Coordinating Committee:
• met Nov 4th.  Helmut Hissen elected chair
• 3 task forces:
- Processes - (policy capacity, eg density bonus policy - how to marshal meaningful feedback into city hall)
- Roles and Relationships - better definition of NA LUC roles. Consistency across associations to better serve members, developers and city
- Resources: tools to assist NA LUCs
• Met with APC - asked for dedicated funds to update community plans and maintain them on a 5 year schedule.  Letter went to finance committee.
• January 27th is the next meeting of LUCC. Pam Madoff scheduled to attend.

Annual General Meeting:
•Leida-Marie Grant will chair a nominating committee and set up her committee.
•Proposed dates Feb 3rd or 4th at the Victoria Truth Centre.
•Proposed topic: Geology of Rockland ­ possible speakers: Nick Bassey or Chris Yorath
•Guests: City Councillors, representatives of City police, Craigdarroch Castle, Government House, Art Gallery, Langham Court Theatre, School District 61 Board.
•Suggest 25 minute presentation first, (start at 7:30) and
the business meeting to start at 8:00

7.  New Business:
• Personal information protection act.  HH nominated to attend.
Action:  establish a privacy policy for the association. Tools and guidelines are available to assist in that type of policy development.

8.  Date and Place of Next Meeting:
 January 21, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. in the Government House Volunteers’ Centre
 Bring a flashlight.

• Close of meeting -
Motion: (BA/DC) Adjourn  Carried  Meeting closed at 22:34.