Presentations to Council
Brunie Brunie came as a delegate and spoke to Council regarding people without a home being allowed to shelter without being moved every day.
Section 11, a
Reports to Council
City’s Role in Health and Housing
Staff provided Council with their comment and recommendation regarding a draft position statement entitled “City’s Role in Responding to Homelessness”.
Quick backgrounder:
Over the past 20 years, the City has made substantial financial investments (not including Staff time) to address homelessness. Examples include:
- property tax exemptions for shelters (located in churches);
- financial support for emergency shelter operations;
- rent supplements;
- social planning grants;
- low- or no-cost land leases for supportive housing;
- development cost charge exemptions for affordable and supportive housing projects;
- works and services contributions; and
- land for supportive and affordable housing projects.
Nanaimo was one of the first municipalities in BC to permit secondary suites, which has allowed for the creation of over 3000 rental units over the past 15 years.
While not a social service agency, the City also provides some direct funding to agencies for services that support the health and well-being of those with lived or living experience of homelessness, including the Caledonia Shower Program and the Urban Clean-up Program.
For many years, the City of Nanaimo has had a social planning function, and having dedicated Staff on this file has allowed the City to be more effective in every aspect of the roles mentioned in the position statement. Some of our counterpart cities in BC that have recently created positions specifically to address homelessness do not have other social planners on staff; consequently, it is worth noting Nanaimo is not lagging, but was an ‘early adopter’ in resourcing this function.
Decision Outcome: Council moved a motion to defer this matter to the February 1, 2021 meeting. This gives Council time to review and digest the recommendations coming out of the Health and Housing Task Force via Turner Strategies and HelpSeeker who are working on support system change initiatives to address current community challenges relating to homelessness.
Section 12, a
Development Around Nanaimo
Heritage Alteration Permit No. HAP00030 - 421 Franklyn Street
Purpose: To present for Council’s consideration, a heritage alteration permit to allow demolition of the Franklyn Street Gymnasium at 421 Franklyn Street.
Decision Outcome: Council issued Heritage Alteration Permit No. HAP00030 for the demolition of the Franklyn Street Gymnasium at 421 Franklyn Street.
Section 12, b
Development Permit Application No. DP1163 - 1220, 1225 and 1221 Manzanita Place
Purpose: To present for Council’s consideration, a development permit application for a multi-family development with 16 residential units at 1220, 1225 and 1221 Manzanita Place.
Decision Outcome: Council issued Development Permit No. DP1163 at 1220, 1225 and 1221 Manzanita Place with the following variances:
- increase the maximum allowable building height from 7m to 7.75m at 1220 Manzanita Place to 8.93m at 1225 Manzanita Place and 8.87m at 1221 Manzanita Place;
- reduce the minimum required front yard setback from 6m to 3.25m at 1225 Manzanita Place and from 6m to 4.5m at 1221 Manzanita Place; and
- reduce the minimum required rear yard setback from 7.5m to 5.8m at 1225 Manzanita Place.
Section 12, c
Development Permit Application No. DP1172 - 2348 Kenworth Road
Purpose: To present for Council’s consideration, a development permit application for the new location of the Mitsubishi auto dealership.
Decision Outcome: Council issued Development Permit No. DP1172 at 2348 Kenworth Road with the following variances:
- to increase the maximum permitted front yard setback from 6m to 22.41m for 100% of the front face of the building;
- to waive the minimum building height requirement to allow the building as proposed; and
- to allow parking between the front property line and the front face of the proposed building.
Section 12, d
Development Permit Application No. DP1177 - 191 and 195 Fourth Street
Purpose: To present for Council’s consideration, a development permit application for a proposed renovation of the existing Nanaimo Search and Rescue building at 191 and 195 Fourth Street.
Decision Outcome: Council issued Development Permit No. DP1177 at 191 and 195 Fourth Street with the following variances:
- reduce the minimum required rear yard setback from 7.5m to 1.3m;
- reduce the minimum landscape buffer width for the side and rear yard from 1.8m to 0m;
- eliminate the requirement for shrub plantings on the sides of the garbage enclosure; and
- reduce the minimum required setback for the garbage enclosure from 3m to 1.5m.
Section 12, e
Wakesiah Avenue Corridor Improvements Project
The City is responsible for maintaining and upgrading $3 billion dollars of infrastructure assets. Through asset management and strategic infrastructure planning, the Wakesiah Corridor has been identified for a series of renewals or upgrades. Staff briefed Council on the plans for Wakesiah Avenue Corridor Improvement Project, which included the following:
- Watermain replacement between First Street and Third Street,
- Storm sewer replacement between Third Street and Fifth Street, Information Report September 14,
- Repaving between Second Street and Fourth Street,
- Cycling upgrades between First Street to Sixth Street (reallocation of road space to create bike lanes),
- Sidewalk on the west side between Second Street and Fifth Street, and
- Minor Intersection upgrades all the signalized intersections along the corridor.
Decision Outcome: Staff are in the process of developing options regarding which projects can possibly be delayed so that priority projects can move forward.
Section 12, f
Terminal Avenue Trans Canada Highway Capital Upgrades
The Trans-Canada Highway between Esplanade and Comox Road is in need of significant utility and transportation upgrades in 2022. The Pearson Bridge, has also been identified as an area of concern by the community, but is not in the current Financial Plan.
Decision Outcome: Staff will be developing options regarding which projects can possibly be delayed so that priority projects can move forward. Council also approved staff’s request to add the Pearson Bridge Cycle Track to the 2021 - 2025 Financial Plan and to offset City expenditures through partnership and grant funding opportunities.
Section 12, g
Adopted Bylaws
Subdivision Control Amendment Bylaw 2020 No. 3260.05
That “Subdivision Control Amendment Bylaw 2020 No. 3260.05” (To amend Schedule A – Manual of Engineering Standards and Specifications) was adopted.
Section 13, a
Housing Agreement Bylaw 2020 No. 7313
That "Housing Agreement Bylaw 2020 No. 7313" (To authorize a housing agreement for student housing at 326 Wakesiah Avenue) was adopted.
Section 13, b
Housing Agreement Bylaw 2020 No. 7314
That “Housing Agreement Bylaw 2020 No. 7314” (To authorize a housing agreement to prevent any future restrictions on the rental of individual units at 20 Barsby Avenue) was adopted.
Section 13, c
Notice of Motion
Councillor Bonner brought forward the following Notice of Motion for Council to consider at their next Regular Council Meeting: That Council direct Staff to report back to Council on options for Nanaimo to participate in a potential Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure pilot project limiting residential speed limits.
Section 14, a
September 14, 2020 Regular Council Meeting – agenda, documents and video