What you need to know: Revelstoke to overhaul zoning bylaw

The City of Revelstoke is beginning the process of updating its dated zoning bylaw.

The update to the City of Revelstoke’s zoning bylaw document is expected to assist those in the development and construction industry.

The City of Revelstoke’s zoning bylaw hasn’t been updated since 1982 and the city’s development services department wants to bring the bylaw into the 21st Century, modernizing its wording and reducing the density of the document.

The dated document is problematic for several reasons. First, the city has changed a lot in the past nearly 25 years. Second, the bylaw uses old, outdated language and is difficult for the layperson to read. Third, it’s been revised and amended many times, which impedes legibility more.

“[We want to] rethread it so it flows in a better way and is easier to understand so it is consistent, legible and modernized,” manager of development services Dean Strachan said. 

Currently those wading through the bylaw need to refer to a number of documents, whereas this update will allow development staff to condense the information.

“It’s to simplify it, to make it easier to understand for the public and development community,” Strachan said. “People often rely on city staff to interpret it, which is not that efficient.”

Several waves or revisions to the bylaw are expected and the first appeared in the Oct. 13 city council meeting agenda.

The city attempted to update the bylaw starting in 2009, but the update eventually failed at the council table after controversies related to the complexity of the proposed bylaw.

Here’s what you need to know

-This update will not change regulations and uses within zones (that will happen in the upcoming Official Community Plan review)

-The update will match definitions to similar neighbouring communities to help out-of-town industry

-City staff will present the updates in blocks, with a public hearing opportunity at each

-City staff hope to have the updates finished by spring 2017