A proposal to rezone over 450-acres of land near Fernie will come back before the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) board of directors next month.
According to the RDEK, the specific bylaws, 3102 and 3103 would amend the official community plan (OCP) and land zoning of several properties to allow for residential development.
The area, known as the Galloway Lands, is located just outside of Fernie, on the southeast slopes of the Lizard Range and north of Fernie Alpine Resort.
“The proposal was to create 72 lots and leave a large green space,” explained RDEK board chair Rob Gay. “The board sent it back to staff and said we would like more information and we would review it.”
Gay said the board raised concerns with several pieces of information that were missing from the original proposal.
“One of the main points of concern was access; it’s kind of one road in and one road out of the Fernie ski hill area,” said Gay. “The second thing is that Lizard Creek is an important wildlife area, so there were issues around both fish that spawn in the creek and ungulates that use the range.”
“There was a need to do some environmental work that wasn’t in the first proposal. Those were a couple of the things we wanted to see as a board. Apparently, now, those reports are prepared.”
According to other officials, the applicant was asked to provide more details on septic, a community wildfire protection plan, the life cycle of costs development, and covenant accountability and management.
Originally, the bylaws were going to come back for consideration during June’s meeting, but some directors were concerned about the potential impact of an additional month on the timing of other steps.
RDEK officials say its staff are reviewing the new information and will have updated reports ready for the May 12th committee and May 13th board meetings.
If the proposal passes the first and second reading, RDEK staff said a public hearing will be scheduled for late May or early June.
More: Development company presenting plans to rezone Galloway Lands near Fernie (Jan 5, 2022)
More: Local groups voice opposition to proposed development near Fernie (Jan 10, 2022)