Development & Planning Meeting Cliff Notes - July 7, 2025 - Salmon Arm

Let’s be honest — most people aren’t spending their downtime wading through Planning and Development Committee agendas. The city’s website isn’t exactly a user-friendly dream, and these meetings don’t exactly scream “must-watch.” That’s where we comes in.

Below is a plain-English summary of what actually happened — who raised what issues, which developments got the green light, and what proposals got punted to some future maybe. It’s not exciting, it’s not funny, and we don’t clog up your inbox with it. But if you care about what’s being built, approved, or shut down in Salmon Arm, this is where to start.

Think of it as your shortcut to planning literacy. Necessary? Debatable. Entertaining? Not even a little. Should it exist in an accessible way? We think so.

Disclaimer: This summary is provided for informational purposes only and may (probably) contain errors or omissions. While we do our best to capture what happened, it is not an official record and should not be relied upon as a complete or fully accurate account of the meeting. For the official minutes and decisions, please refer to the City of Salmon Arm’s website. Also, it's seriously so boring so read at your own risk.

Video available here if you REALLY wanna watch the full thing:

TLDR:

• School Portable Project Variance Granted with Right-of-Way Condition: Council approved a Development Variance Permit for King's Christian School to add two temporary portable classrooms. The decision waives the requirement for the applicant to fund costly frontage upgrades (estimated at $1.1 million), which were deemed prohibitive for the project's modest scope. However, as a key condition, Council required the applicant to dedicate the right-of-way for a future multi-use path along the 30th St NE property frontage, securing a critical piece of the City's long-term active transportation corridor plan.

Key Recurring Themes/Actions:

• Pragmatic Compromise: Council demonstrated flexibility by waiving financially prohibitive upgrade requirements to allow a valuable community project to proceed, while still upholding key strategic planning objectives.
• Securing Future Infrastructure: The decision secures vital land for a high-priority active transportation path through the development variance process, achieving a long-term City goal with minimal immediate cost to the applicant.
• Prioritizing Active Transportation: The discussion and final decision underscored the high importance of the City's active transportation plan, with Council seizing the opportunity to acquire the necessary right-of-way for a future corridor.

Full Meeting Summary

Attendees:

• Mayor Alan Harrison
• In Chambers: Mayor Alan Harrison, Councillor Sylvia Lindgren, Councillor Debbie Cannon, Councillor Louise Wallace Richmond, Councillor David Gonella
• Virtual: Councillor Tim Lavery
• Staff: CEO Erin Jackson, Planner Chris Larson, Director of Engineering and Public Works Rob Niewenhuizen, Deputy Fire Chief
• Proponents/Agents: Greg Kylo (TA Structures), Tim Corness (Deacon of Building Management, Broadview Evangelical Free Church), Curtis Molder (Vice Chair, King's Christian School Board)
• Absent: Councillor Kevin Flynn (declared pecuniary interest)

Meeting Summary:

1. Call to Order & Land Acknowledgement

• [00:22] Mayor Alan Harrison called the meeting to order.
• [00:40] An acknowledgement of gathering on the traditional territory of the Secwépemc people was made.

2. Agenda & Minutes Adoption

• [01:12] Councillor Kevin Flynn was noted as absent due to a declared pecuniary interest in the single agenda item.
• [01:29] The agenda was adopted as presented.
• [01:55] The minutes of the June 16, 2025, Development Planning Services Committee meeting were adopted as presented.

3. Disclosure of Interest

• [02:18] No further disclosures were made.

4. Development Variance Permit Application VP604 (30th St NE & 2nd Ave NE - Broadview Evangelical Free Church & Shuswap Christian Education Society) [02:27]

• Motion on the Floor: That the Development and Planning Services Committee recommend to Council that it approve variances to waive the requirement to upgrade 30th Street Northeast (to RD4 standard) and Second Avenue Northeast (to RD2 standard). Moved by Councillor David Gonella, seconded by Councillor Debbie Cannon. [02:47]
• Staff Presentation: [02:53] Planner Chris Larson outlined that a building permit application for two portable classrooms at King's Christian School triggered significant frontage and servicing upgrade requirements. These upgrades, including water main, fire hydrants, streetlights, and a multi-use path, were estimated to cost just under $1.1 million. While staff policy would be to deny a full waiver, they presented an alternative compromise: waiving some requirements (water main, one fire hydrant) but still requiring others, most notably the dedication of right-of-way (ROW) for a future multi-use path and corner cut, street lighting, and one fire hydrant on Second Avenue.
• Applicant Presentation: [05:13] Agent Greg Kylo, on behalf of the church and school, presented their case for a full variance. He emphasized several key points:
  • Scope: The project is for two temporary, non-foundation portables intended to relieve internal space pressure (e.g., provide lunch areas), not to increase student capacity.
  • Financials: The project budget is only $500,000. The school is a non-profit that receives about half the provincial funding per student compared to public schools and receives no capital funding. The $1.1 million upgrade cost is prohibitive and would need to be covered by fundraising or increased tuition.
  • Impact: The project creates no additional demand for water, sanitary, or parking.
  • Fairness: Mr. Kylo questioned if a public school adding a portable would face the same requirements, suggesting a potential inequity.
• Question & Answer Period: A lengthy and detailed Q&A period followed to clarify key aspects of the application.
  • Fire Protection: In response to Councillor Wallace Richmond, the Deputy Fire Chief stated that from a fire department perspective, the new portables would be adequately served by the existing private hydrant on site, which is regularly maintained. [41:05]
  • Project Rationale: In response to questions from Councillors Lingren and Cannon, representatives from the school and church boards clarified that the school is near, but not at, its enrollment cap. The portables are needed to improve the student experience by freeing up crowded interior space for lunch and support services, not for increasing overall student numbers. [37:20]
  • Right-of-Way (ROW): This was the most discussed topic.
    • Councillor Tim Lavery established that the cost of surveying and registering a ROW would be borne by the applicant, but the much larger cost of actually building the path would be a future City expense. [12:08]
    • The applicant expressed concern over the cost and property impacts of providing the ROW, especially for a temporary project, and noted no adjacent properties have provided this yet.
    • In response to a direct question from Mayor Harrison, the applicant confirmed that requiring the ROW dedication would put the project's viability at risk. [42:12]
    • In a crucial point of clarification for Councillor Sylvia Lingren, the Director of Engineering and Public Works confirmed that any private infrastructure (like signs or sprinklers) currently in the proposed ROW area would not need to be moved until the City was ready to construct the multi-use path in the future. This significantly reduced the immediate financial impact of the dedication. [1:03:31]
• General Comments & Deliberations: [46:19]
  • Council members universally acknowledged that the $1.1 million upgrade cost was disproportionate to the small, temporary nature of the project and that a full denial of the variance was not a practical option.
  • The consensus among councillors was that securing the right-of-way was a non-negotiable, long-term strategic priority for the City, as 30th Street NE is a key active transportation corridor connecting multiple schools.
  • The primary goal became finding a compromise that allowed the project to proceed while securing the City's future active transportation plans.
• Amendments & Voting on the Motion: The committee decided to address the motion in two parts.
  • Item 2 (Second Avenue NE): An amendment was made to waive the RD2 road standard upgrade except for the dedication of the corner cut right-of-way. The amendment passed unanimously [1:09:37], and the amended item 2 then passed unanimously [1:10:12].
  • Item 1 (30th Street NE): A second amendment was made to waive the RD4 road standard upgrade except for the dedication of right-of-way to support the future multi-use path. This amendment also passed unanimously [1:12:06].

Final Recommendation: The committee unanimously recommended that Council approve the development variance, waiving the majority of the expensive physical upgrades, but requiring the applicant to dedicate the corner cut and multi-use path right-of-way. This compromise reduced the immediate off-site costs for the applicant from a potential $1.1 million to an estimated $1,000-$5,000 for surveying, while securing the land needed for the City's future plans. The recommendation will be forwarded to a full Council meeting for a final decision. [1:15:36]

5. Adjournment

• [1:15:54] The meeting was adjourned.

That’s the meeting — in all its procedural glory. If you made it this far, congrats: you now know more about local government than 99% of your neighbours.

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