Zoning Bylaw Update

Latest News

Phase 1 of the Zoning Bylaw update is now complete and Zoning Bylaw No. 2299 has been adopted by Council. The bylaw is uploaded on the City of Revelstoke's Document Center. If you have any questions about the new regulations, please contact Development Services.

Zoning Bylaw Review: Phase 1

This page has been created to inform the Revelstoke community of the proposed changes to the Zoning Bylaw.

OVERVIEW

The City of Revelstoke is undertaking a comprehensive zoning bylaw review to update, modernize, and provide more clarity to the bylaw. A comprehensive review is a complex undertaking and takes substantial time and resources.

The first phase of the project seeks to improve the functionality of the current bylaw by improving clarity, consolidating regulations, updating/adding definitions, introducing minor updates to parking regulations, and providing more flexibility for urban food production as well as infill residential development.

The next phase of the project will seek to complete a comprehensive review of all zones and the uses/regulations contained within, revisions to supplementary regulations, and revisions to the parking regulations.

WHY IS THE PROJECT BEING COMPLETED?

The City’s current zoning bylaw was originally adopted in 1984, and since that time has been amended 133 times. To ensure the bylaw is meeting the overall objectives of the community, best practices typically seek to update zoning bylaws every 5 years. The current bylaw has outdated, contradictory regulations that cause confusion with interpretation. The intent with the first phase of the bylaw update is to align with current legislation and to add clarity to ensure consistency in interpretation and application.

HIGHLIGHTS

The project is anticipated to be completed in phases. The first phase seeks to undertake two types of amendments: Administrative Amendments and Bylaw Content Changes.

The Administrative Amendments do not alter the intent of the regulations but reduce ambiguity and improve clarity. This includes:

• Some reorganization of the document to improve readability
• Clarification on definitions, the inclusion of diagrams
• Updated references to current legislation.

The Bylaw Content Changes are more substantial and alter the intent of the bylaw. This includes:

• Amendments to allow for minor forms of food production throughout the City
• Inclusion of allowances for infill residential development including accessory dwelling units (carriage and garden suites) and secondary suites within multi-family buildings
• Regulations to allow for density bonusing in medium/high-density residential zones
• Addition of new parking regulations to promote walkability in certain areas of the City and reduce reliance on vehicular transportation
• Regulations to control parking and storage on residential properties
• Updated density bouncing regulations to make standard high density residential zones more widely used and reduce the reliance on comprehensive development zones
• Amended regulations to provide greater clarity regarding temporary buildings
• Amendments to the minimum lot sizes for standard residential zones to allow for greater infill development on larger lots.