ALR exclusion bid for Colwood Creek Park heads to council; procedure bylaw debate continues

Colwood council was scheduled last week to vote on asking the Agricultural Land Commission to remove a portion of Colwood Creek Park from the Agricultural Land Reserve, an item that topped the agenda of a special council meeting. The outcome of the June 29 meeting was not available as official minutes had not been released by press time.

That meeting also included direction for staff to overhaul the city website as “core governance infrastructure,” investigate speed‑control measures such as speed humps or Actibump on Kelly Road near the playground, and study converting traffic‑circle and cul‑de‑sac islands to low‑maintenance hardscaping. Council was also set to adopt an updated off‑street parking bylaw (No. 1909‑3) and a new public notice bylaw (No. 2117).

The special meeting was called to handle items left over from a regular council session that did not take place, including measures with a June 30 legislative deadline.

Procedure bylaw changes draw homeowners’ concerns

Council’s committee of the whole held two sessions on June 22 devoted to rewriting the Council Procedure Bylaw. Among the proposals under discussion were reducing the number of written submissions kept on the public record, introducing a consent agenda only for unanimous committee recommendations, and setting speaking time limits of two five‑minute speeches per member plus a five‑minute question‑and‑answer period before motions. Agenda packages would be distributed by the end of the day on the Wednesday before a meeting.

The Royal Bay Homeowners Association submitted written opposition, arguing that several of the changes would reduce transparency and democratic access. The committee’s discussions were a continuation of a deferred debate from June 8; no decisions were reported.

In‑camera labour meeting; waterfront committee cancelled

Colwood council also held an in‑camera meeting on June 22 to discuss labour or employee relations under the Community Charter. The entire meeting was closed to the public. Separately, the June 25 meeting of the Waterfront Stewardship Committee was cancelled.

Coming up

The Planning and Land Use Committee meets on July 6. On the agenda: a request to raise the building height limit from 15 m to 24 m for a mixed‑use building at 3569 Ryder Hesjedal Way, and a sign‑height variance to 1.5 m for 3615 Ryder Hesjedal Way. Members will also receive an annual planning update.

Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.