Updated: February 10, 2023
View meeting recordings for the Planning & Development Committee as well as Council on YouTube!
District of Sicamous on YouTube
Beginning with a housing needs assessment in 2021 to identify our core areas of need, the Housing Committee established in early 2022 has been hard at work drafting an updated housing strategy!
The 2022 Housing Strategy was endorsed at the February 8, 2023 Regular Council Meeting.
Staff Report:
Staff Report - 2022 Housing Strategy
Background Documents:
2009 Affordable Housing Strategy
Engagement:
Over the summers of 2021 and 2022, the District has held various engagement opportunities to consult on new regulations for short term rentals within the District. As a destination community, Sicamous attracts vacationers in both the winter and summer months. Online services such as Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) or Airbnb have become popular in residential neighbourhoods as an alternative to a hotel. There can be a negative impact on local hotel businesses, the availability of housing, and the residential character of neighborhoods.
Short term rentals are not currently a permitted use in most areas of Sicamous. Enabling regulations to allow short term rentals in specific areas are included in the New Zoning Bylaw, which was adopted at the January 11, 2023 Council Meeting.
Business Licencing Requirements and Fees were updated by adoption of bylaw amendments to the Business Licencing and Fees Bylaws at the February 8, 2023 Council Meeting.
The Zoning Bylaw defines "Short Term Rental" as: the use of a Dwelling Unit as a "Sleeping Unit", which is defined as a unit of accommodation, not subject to a tenancy agreement, for rental on a daily, weekly, or monthly rate and may include a bathroom and cooking facilities.
Don't know what your zoning is? Check out our Property Inquiry Map and click on your property, or, turn on the Zoning Layer.
In 2020, Holland Planning Innovations prepared a draft zoning bylaw to replace the District of Sicamous Zoning Bylaw No. 101, 1993. The first draft passed First Reading at the August 11, 2021 Regular Council Meeting. After further consultation and revision, the Bylaw received Third Reading at the September 28, 2022 Regular Council Meeting. The bylaw will be considered for of minor revision at the December 14, 2022 Regular Council Meeting. The bylaw was approved by Ministry of Transportation and was adopted at the January 11, 2023 Regular Council Meeting.
| District of Sicamous Zoning Bylaw 1000, 2022 | ||
| Bylaw 1000, 2022 | Schedule A-D (Full Bylaw) | Contents |
| Definitions | Administration | General Regulations |
| Zones | Maps: Zoning & ALR | Floodplain & Parking |
|
Zoning Bylaw 101, 1993 (Consolidated) |
Contact: Sarah Martin, Planner, District of Sicamous PH: (250)836-5261 E: smartin@sicamous.ca
Over 2022, the District has been working on a Parks & Trails Master Plan AND an Active Transportation Network Plan (getting around town in ways other than a vehicle). You may have seen Steffi around town spreading the word and having conversations about our parks, riding our bikes, and rolling around our trails and sidewalks. For more information about these two projects, see the project page via the link below!
A draft version of the Active Transportation Plan was presented at the December 7, 2022 Planning and Development Committee Meeting.
|
DRAFT Active Transportation Network Plan (Urban Systems) |
Contact: Steffi Sunny, Planning Assistant, District of Sicamous PH: (250)836-2477 Ext. 2042 E: ssunny@sicamous.ca
Over the summer of 2021, the District completed a public survey, open houses and workshops to inform a revitalization plan for Main Street, in particular, to inform the road cross section for Main Street. This includes road and sidewalk width, parking type, street furnishings, intersection treatments, and boulevards. This project ties in with the Shuswap Healing Centre and housing projects on Main Street.
"The street is a place to be seen. Sociability is a large part of why cities exist, and the streets are a major if not the only public place for that sociability to develop. At the same time, the street is a place to be alone, to be private, to wonder what it was once like, or what it could be like. It is a place for the mind to wander, triggered by something there on the street or by something internal, more personal, a place to walk while whatever inside unfolds, yet again."
- Allan B Jacobs, Great Streets
Contact: Steffi Sunny, Planning Assistant, District of Sicamous PH: (250) 836 2477 ext 2042 E: ssunny@sicamous.ca
In 2021, the District of Sicamous retained CitySpaces Consulting to complete a Housing Needs Report in accordance with Provincial legislation. This report builds on the foundation of housing policy, regulations, specific topic studies, and community engagement around housing in Sicamous. This report is intended to provide an understanding of current and anticipated housing needs within Sicamous.
Contact: Sarah Martin, Planner, District of Sicamous PH: (250)836-5261 E: smartin@sicamous.ca
In 2020, the District received the Sicamous Narrows Flood Protection Plan prepared by Kerr Wood Leidal. To review the plan, please refer to the link below:
| Sicamous Narrows Flood Protection Plan (2020) |
Contact: Jeromy Schuetze, Engineering Technologist, District of Sicamous (250) 836 5267 E: jschuetze@sicamous.ca