Council approves bylaws about public notices, zoning, and airport authority

City council has approved three bylaw amendments that address advertising public notices, supporting the municipal airport’s infrastructure project and updating the zoning bylaw to address floodways.

During the April 26 regular meeting, council gave three unanimous readings to two of the amendments and gave final approval to one bylaw after it appeared at a previous meeting.

Zoning bylaw amendment

Amending the zoning bylaw allows city administration to make grammatical corrections, clarifications and improvements, so the bylaw remains relevant and practical, a council report explained. Many changes improve the implementation of the regulations or better align the wording of certain sections with the purpose and intent. One specific change affects floodway districts. Notices were sent to affected property owners to notify them of the proposed changes, the report continued. Some letters were also sent to unaffected property owners due to a database error, which city administration later corrected. “We have removed the section regarding the floodway. We will bring it back as soon as we work out the details and mapping,” Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, told council. “This (has been) a mapping error for the last 10 years, so we will try to correct that and work with the Water Security Agency” and provide an updated floodway bylaw on May 10.

The council report contained two letters from homeowners concerned that city administration planned to rezone their properties to floodway district.

James and Charlene Lind wrote that their house was constructed in 1998 with approval from city hall. “This floodway zone had been in existence since the early ’80s, so when I purchased the property in 2002, I assumed that there was no issue with any of the homes/ properties that were already built and in place, especially for one approved in 1998,” they said.

“I did understand that there would be no further development allowed beyond where the current houses stood. This made sense to me and was actually an incentive for me to purchase the house. Now I am being told that with this rezoning, I would not be allowed to rebuild on my property should anything be destroyed and/or damaged. This is not fair nor right.”

The Linds said it didn’t make sense to reclassify their property as being in a floodway and not their neighbour across the alley. Furthermore, their area had not experienced a flood since 1974, while the chances of one happening were “pretty much non-existent.” Property owner Zane Wenarchuk wrote that he purchased a home on Second Avenue Northwest last year after being told there was no issue with any of the homes already in place, including one from 1958. He was also told no further development would be allowed where houses already stood.

After learning about the possibility of his property being rezoned, Wenarchuk expressed the same concerns as the

Linds.

“It is uncomprehensive that the properties behind us, being at the same level, are not considered as being in the flood plain but (are) only a few feet away, while we are,” he added. “This does not make sense.”

Planning public notice bylaw

The purpose of the planning public notice bylaw establishes standards and procedures for public notification and consultation responsibilities with development applications or related bylaws and policies, a council report said. This ensures transparent and consistent application of standards to benefit affected residents, the development community and the municipality.

Airport authority bylaw

City council voted 5-1 to officially approve the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport Authority Guarantee Bylaw, which will see the city backstop the authority’s pursuit of a line of credit to finish its runway expansion. Coun. Dawn Luhning was opposed, while Mayor Fraser Tolmie was absent.