December 7, 2007

Ms. Denise Blackwell, Chair,
Members of the Board
Capital Regional District
Victoria, B.C.

Dear Ms. Blackwell and Members of the Board,

Re : Bylaw 3474, Rural A/B zoning

In response to recent public outrage over the possible sale of Forestry Lands for the purpose of development in the vicinity of Jordan River, the CRD planning staff crafted a bylaw amendment which was designed to safeguard against the wholesale development of large tracts of land without input from affected communities. A very relieved public at large supported and commended the CRD for its action when bylaw 3474 passed first and second reading at the November 14th meeting of the Board.

This document was approved at the November 13th meeting of the Land Use Committee despite the fact that it was never presented to the public for feedback. Consequently, those Rural A property owners affected by the creation of a Rural B zone with a minimum parcel size of 300 acres have had no opportunity to comment on the impact this will have on them.

Some may not even be aware that if bylaw 3474 proceeds they will have lost the option to subdivide their property, they will be entitled to only one dwelling on their 30, 40 or 80 acres and furthermore, while everyone else’s assessment is soaring, theirs will take a huge nosedive.

The Rural A owners in question are not large in number. Among them are long term residents of our communities who have made investments and improvements to their properties over many years. Some have no intention of subdividing or developing their land but their property values will nevertheless be slashed by this bylaw.

I do not believe that so few property owners represent a development threat to their communities. Radical downzoning is being imposed on them without consultation. I urge you to make the appropriate distinction between the Rural A properties owned by longtime residents of our communities and the large tracts of Forestry Lands for which this bylaw was so strongly supported. The decision by the Board to pass this bylaw was applauded by the public because it protects our communities from large scale wholesale development without public input. I find it hard to imagine that such restrictive downzoning would have received such support had the issue of the Forestry Lands Sale not occurred. It strikes me as highly opportunistic to capitalize on such a situation to deal so harshly with community residents who own large Rural A properties.

I appeal to you to consult directly with the owners who will lose their Rural A zoning and to devise a mechanism by which the properties in question can be grandfathered in to Rural A or exempted from bylaw 3474, or to negotiate a mutually satisfactory compromise, so that this issue can be resolved.

Yours sincerely,

Anne Best

Cc: Hon. Gordon Campbell
Hon. Ida Chong
Eric Lund, Regional Director, JdFEA