By David F. Rooney
A lot of people are citing the Official Community Plan in their discussions regarding the proposed zoning changes for the Revelstoke Crossing Mall that Hall Pacific wants to build at the junction of the Trans-Canada with Highway 23 North.
City Hall thinks versions of the OCP that some are citing may not, in fact, be the final, approved version. A number of people in our municipal government asked me, as editor and publisher on The Current, to help ensure that Revelstokians are looking at the correct document. Here is the correct URL for the OCP that applies to Revelstoke: https://revelstoke.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/1049?preview=14186.
The section of the OCP that deals with highway commercial development is on page 63 of the plan. Here is what it says:
“Commercial
The Central Business District is the commercial core of the community. The majority of other commercial areas are located on Victoria Road, Highway #1 East and West, Highway #23 North and South and Big Eddy Road. The land use designations here and in the Mixed-Use category emphasize mixed use development and neighbourhood commercial development to achieve a compact, sustainable community.
“Highway Commercial Land Use
The Highway Commercial Land Use provides for the orderly development of automobile-dependent accommodation and services for residents, tourists, and transient motorists along the Highway 1 corridor. These areas are intended to provide for convenient, controlled access parking, without increasing traffic burdens upon the adjacent streets and highways. This use is designated primarily at the commercial corridors of the City, with the intention of making the City more attractive as a tourist destination while providing needed commercial activity.
This area has a high level of habitat fragmentation. Green roofs, more compact development, and landscaping of parking areas and lots should have a positive contribution to the diversity of smaller species including birds and insects. Providing connections across the highway corridor for larger species will help reduce wildlife conflict issues and enhance habitat connections for local species.”
If you google ‘Revelstoke Official Community Plan’ you’ll receive 47,000 results. Be sure you are looking at the correct document.
