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Blewett should stay the way it is

Well John, I would like to point you to two RDCK documents that lead me to believe otherwise.

In the January 4 edition of the Nelson Star, my friend and neighbour John Vanden Heuvel writes in his letter “Blewett mailbox posters misleading” that the proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) presently being voted on for Blewett and area, (which includes Granite Rd. and parts of Ymir and Perrier Rd.) “…does not lead to zoning.”  He also states... that the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s OCP has no intention whatsoever to dictate… what someone’s farm or house should look like and where it should be placed.

Well John, I would like to point you to two RDCK documents that lead me to believe otherwise.

Firstly, the draft OCP itself: page 56, 19.0 under Implementation: “The OCP…does not provide the tools for implementing its policies. The RDCK has a number of tools and methods available for implementing the Plan. The purpose of this section is to set out specific steps the RDCK can take to implement this Plan.”

Further; “A zoning bylaw sets out the density of development on a parcel of land, as well as specifying the permitted uses allowed. It also contains specific regulations that control the size, siting, and various other details of development on a parcel of land.” (That sounds a lot like “dictate” to me!)

Exhibit two is from a RDCK handout entitled “Land use and government agency responsiblities.” It states that if a community were to adopt an OCP, it would explore “options for implementation tools, such as zoning within area under the plan.”

In light of this, I think it is entirely reasonable to conclude that zoning, not to mention increased taxes and fees, will follow an OCP as surely as night follows day.

Blewett is a wonderful community the way it is. Let’s just say “wonderful” is good enough, vote no, and leave Blewett the way it is!

Jim Demers

 

Blewett