The municipality’s new short-term rental bylaw faced its first test at the Jan. 25 regular council meeting.
In a six-to-one vote, council rejected a temporary use permit application to extend the number of days a Dorman Point short-term rental is allowed to operate.
Under bylaw, adopted last July, residential guest accommodations are limited to renting 120 days in a calendar year – the idea is keeping short-term renting an accessory use and encourage long-term renting. The applicants (who live elsewhere in B.C.) had applied to be allowed to rent 275 days out of the year – enough to financially maintain the property until they retire to the property.
“The owners stay at the property intermittently and have struggled with fitting long-term rentals into their schedule,” explains a staff report. “They have no wish to permanently rezone the property for commercial use but are rather seeking a temporary extension of the time limit.”
Coun. Maureen Nicholson pointed to how new the short-term rental bylaw is. “It’s been six months. This kind of scenario was anticipated – people’s desire to rent for a longer period,” she said. “The decision was made at that time that we would put in place a set of regulations that would not allow this.”
While Coun. Michael Kaile opposed the short-term bylaw when it came to council – the 120-day limit being his sticking point – he said he was feeling uncomfortable with the application. “Whether I approved or voted for that [short-term rental] bylaw, I still own it, as part of council,” he said.
The possibility of precedent setting concerned councillors as well. “There’s no really good, valid reason to extend these days, except for a convenience,” said Mayor Gary Ander. “And I can guarantee you that there’d be six or eight applications next week if this went through.”
The possibility of the property being long-term rental housing, which the short-term rental bylaw is intended to protect, councillors also noted. “There are a lot of people right now who are displaced on this island, and particularly a home like this would provide a place,” said Nicholson.
Coun. Alison Morse was the lone vote against rejecting the application – she argued against the 120-day limitation throughout the bylaw process and has advocated for pulling non-compliant business licences (or TUPs) as a more effective way of regulating short-term rentals.
Other briefs
Fruitful endeavour? Seeking funding for on-island composting
The on-island composting facility is inching forward. Council authorized BIM applying for a CleanBC grant that would cover $1.1 million of the HotRot facility. A further $100,000 Knick Knack Nook grant would leave BIM with a $404,500 difference to be borrowed from the Municipal Finance Authority of BC. (It would be equipment financing, which, so long as the muni intends to pay it off within five years, doesn’t require a referendum.) The cost of the project has risen some due to a need for phase three power, increase in site preparation at Bowen Island Recycling Depot (the chosen site) and the price of steel, indicated manager of Environment and Parks Planning, Bonny Brokenshire.
Councillors generally voiced appreciation that this was coming forward and acknowledged the work local volunteers and organizations have put into the initiative. (Hocking noted this issue was in his 2005 election brochure).
“Besides the clear objectives of reducing GHG emissions and closing our waste loop, the facility is expected to improve food security, air quality, and reduce plastic waste,” said the staff report.
Multi-use path prep progressing
The cross-island multi-use path project could be likened to the children’s game red light-green light in recent years. While BIM had been set to build a phase of the pathway around the Charlie’s Lane bend a couple of years back, that endeavour proved more expensive and complicated than expected. With grant expiries looming, and more grant opportunities in the wings, the Public Works department is looking at more easterly path sections.
The pathway section between Carter Rd. and Mt. Gardner Rd. is set to go to tender in the next few weeks council heard and BIM is applying for funding for the section between Senior Rd. and Cardena Dr. Public Works is also eyeing TransLink funding for a Carter Rd. to Artisan Lane section.
Camping ban
Council passed a resolution asking that staff create a bylaw to restrict camping or the creation of encampments on Bowen Island public places. While it’s a longstanding assumption of Bowen Islanders that camping is not allowed on-island, it’s not specifically addressed in bylaw, said CAO Liam Edwards.
Edwards also gave a community centre update, which we've covered in a separate story.
