Photo: City of Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm city councillors had questions about a specific bylaw after a development permit for a replacement water pump required a variance to waive upgrade requirements.

At Monday's City of Salmon Arm planning and development meeting, the committee passed a motion to recommend council authorized the issuance of a development permit for the construction of a new pump station to replace the existing zone 2 pump at the water treatment plant at Canoe Beach.

The development permit request included a variance request to waive the frontage improvements that would be required by the city’s subdivision and development bylaw.

A development permit in the area would normally require improvements along the road next to the subject property, in this case Canoe Beach Drive.

These improvements would include; drainage, curb and gutter, a three metre wide multi-use path, boulevard construction, approximately 10 street lights and two fire hydrants.

Rob Niewenhuizen, director of engineering and public works explained that waiving the frontage upgrades would save approximately $400,000 on the water pump project which is estimated to cost $4.3 million.

“The engineering department has no concerns waiving these requirements, noting that the development will not increase usage along the road or AT routes, capital infrastructure will continue to be prioritized through long term planning, and the fire department has no concerns waiving the requirements for the additional fire hydrants,” he explained.

The committee unanimously voted to recommend council authorize the development permit with the variances requested.

However, Coun. Kevin Flynn raised the question of why the existing bylaw would not have an exemption for municipal infrastructure projects.

“It seems kind of strange that our bylaw would trigger something, as we've just said, that doesn't have DCC associated, but it's infrastructure for the good of everybody in the community,” he said. “I'm trying to figure out why the bylaw wouldn't exempt something like this, so that it doesn't look like we're favouring ourselves in dealing with a variance.”

Niewenhuizen explained that it is a standardized process however council could decide to amend the bylaw to exempt municipal infrastructure in the future.

“To me, that seems like something worth talking about more down the road,” said Flynn.

“We were joking that we all perhaps should have declared a conflict, and then we wouldn't have anybody to vote on it, but I think the bylaw could be looked at to make it simpler.”

After a successful alternative approval process earlier this year city council authorized the borrowing of $4.2 million to build the replacement pump station for the current zone 2 pump.

The existing zone 2 pump is 54 years old and has been assessed by city staff as having exceeded its useful life.