G&P and Special Council Highlights: February 3, 2025

If you missed attending our Special Council Meeting and Governance and Priorities Meeting last night, you'd be in the company of 99.9999999% of the population.
 
Here are some highlights:
 
➡ Council held a Public Hearing for Bylaw No. 2131 - an amendment to Land Use Bylaw No. 1891 for the purpose of redistricting lands to support a mixed use development. The proposed development includes one four-storey residential apartment building with 67 dwelling units and a single-level parkade, plus four commercial buildings with up to seventeen commercial units, on the West hill.
 
➡ Following the Public Hearing, Council passed second and third readings for Bylaw No. 2131.
 
Here are the next steps for this development:
 
• Applicant to confirm or submit finalized site plans and the Roadside Development Permit from Transportation and Economic Corridors.
• Town and developer to discuss development agreement details.
• Development presented to Council for development permit decision. This may be in phases for the site, subject to discussions with the developer.
• Town and developer enter into development agreements.
• Developer applies for subdivision (this may occur concurrently to or after development permit process).
• Site preparation begins (this may occur concurrent to subdivision processes).
• Developer applies for building permits.
• Building construction begins.
 
➡ At the Governance and Priorities meeting, Alisha Mody, Manager of Planning and Development, presented a draft refreshed Land Use Bylaw. We'll have more on this soon, with an open house coming up February 19.
 
➡ Council reviewed the Grants to Organizations Policy.
 
➡ Tanya Bell, Director of Community Services, presented to Council a draft Not-for-Profit Emergency Fund Policy. Administration drafted this policy to create a mechanism for supporting non-profit groups following emergencies. The policy will be coming back to a formal Council meeting in the future.
 
➡ Council discussed forming a Regional Policing Committee, in light of recently adopted amendments to the Police Act. Under the province's new legislation, municipalities served by the RCMP are required to be represented by a governing body based on population size. The Town of Peace River falls in the Regional Policing Committee category for populations of 5,001 to 15,000. The duties of the committee include representing the interests and concerns of the public and Council to the district officers; developing a yearly plan of priorities and strategies for regional policing; assisting in selecting officers in charge of the region; and more. Alternatively, Council was told an option is to form a Municipal Police Committee, which would have similar duties. The province has mandated a March 1 deadline to form this committee, so it will be coming back to Council soon.
 
As always, there was more. But that's enough for now.
 
 
Re-watch it on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NpVLreKDGc
 
We have another Public Hearing and regular Council meeting coming up 5pm Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.
 
View Mayor Elaine Manzer's video wrap-up here: https://youtu.be/MbnKte0xPFE