n a g a n t s a e k o ddlef pa Development process review calls for better communication
PEACHLAND VIEW
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New RDCO program rewards owners who license their dogs
Dog owners who have purchased a 2013 licence for their dogs are now enrolled in the RDCO’s “My Dog Matters” Responsible Dog Owner Rewards program. Enrolled dog owners will receive a card in the mail offering various discounts and benefits at participating businesses. page A3
Joanne Layh / Peachland View
Last week’s fire activity began with a blaze just one property outside the district, near Greata Ranch Estate Winery on the evening of July 30. Then on the following night Peachland firefighters were called out to attend smoke in the area of Victoria Street and Turner Avenue at 10:50 p.m. Just after PFRS were dispatched to in-
Peachland’s development review and approvals processes are within the range of other Okanagan municipalities as well as municipalities of similar size to Peachland, an independent development process review report has confirmed. While the report identifies a number of recommendations for implementation, the key improvements the district should be considering are in the realm of communication, the report states. The 12-page report, commissioned by the district last April, will come before Peachland council for their consideration next Tuesday. The report was prepared by Urban Systems in partnership with Young Anderson with an objective to review current development policies and processes, document their findings, and make recommendations for improvement. “It’s a longstanding project that we’ve wanted to tackle to make sure that our development processes are up to date and understandable,” Mayor Keith Fielding said in an interview with The View. “In fact, one of the key recommendations from the report is that we do a better job of communicating the process and setting it out clearly so that it is more readily understood by applicants and the general public.” In their final report Urban Systems identified the following recommended areas for action: • Development process infrastructure; • Existing policies, bylaws, and requirements; and • Communication, education and awareness. “I think that what it points out is while our processes are generally in keeping with other municipalities that they are nevertheless quite complex and for people that aren’t familiar with the process they can come as something of a surprise,” Fielding said. “Part of the idea in doing a better job of communicating is to make sure that we are also attending to the process itself and doing everything we can to speed that up and aid everyone through the process step by step and in particular trying to give people a better understanding at the outset how long to expect before decisions are made and what the key points are that they will have to observe as they submit and we process and application.” The challenges faced by a small community like Peachland in having simultaneously in progress two major developments (Ponderosa and New Monaco) that will double the size of the town is virtually unheard of, which is one reason why updating development process documents has
See THREE FIRES on page A2
See DEVELOPMENT on page A3
Let your lawn grow
Don’t be in a hurry to mow your lawn: by keeping grass longer, approximately two to three inches tall, you can save 500 to 1,500 litres of water a week. Longer grass shades the roots so that they are better able to hold water, and slows the evaporation of water from the soil. page A10
Homeowners bear responsibility for boulevard areas
page A15
INSIDE News 2-3 Opinion 4-5 Local Activities 6 Commentary 7 Community 8,10,11,15 Arts & Culture 9 Classifieds 12 Service Directory 13 Puzzles 14 Horoscope 14 Faith 15 Paddlefest Section B
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ide gu ide! ins
August 9, 2013 / Volume 9 Number 32 / www.peachlandview.com
AT A GLANCE
Everyone who owns or occupies land next to a road is responsible for keeping the road tidy and clear, which includes weeding and cutting the grass on district property.
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Joanne layh
AndrAyA SKrlAc of cAlGAry (right) and Noah McIntosh of Peachland have only been
doing stand-up paddling since last week but both look forward to attending Okanagan Paddlefest, which takes place in downtown Peachland on August 10. See the special 8-page pullout section in this issue of The View for Okanagan Paddlefest information.
Firefighters kept busy by hot and dry conditions Joanne Layh / Peachland View Last week was a busy one for Peachland firefighters, who attended three fires in same number of days. Strangely, all three fires happened just outside the district’s fire protection zone, though that didn’t stop Peachland Fire and Rescue Service (PFRS) firefighters from actioning the fires before they had a chance to spread.
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