Over 75 people attended an open house Wednesday night (March 21) regarding proposed Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Development Permits.

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) hosted the evening and the planner leading the project says the night was both about sharing information and receiving wider feedback from the community.

“There have been questions about how the mapping was done for the proposed development permit areas. We felt it was important to share the process that was used by the professional environmental consultants,” explained RDEK Planner Michele Bates.

Another important part of the evening was gathering feedback from the community on the proposed Environmentally Sensitive Area Development Permits.

“We did have comments about the need for clarification with some of the definitions in the proposed bylaw, particularly around grasslands and old growth forests,” said Bates. “All of the feedback received was appreciated and I encourage anyone not able to attend the open house to get in touch with me in person, on the phone, or by email to share their thoughts.”

There is a public comment period open until April 23, after which the draft bylaw will be completed and presented to the RDEK Board for consideration. If the board chooses to give the bylaws first and second reading, there would be a formal public hearing.

Protecting the environment was one of the key themes identified by residents at the inception of the Wasa & Area OCP process and the introduction of Environmentally Sensitive Area Development Permits is one of the tools within an OCP used to help preserve and protect the natural environment. The RDEK has ESA Development Permits in several of its other OCPs in the region.

Comment forms, and copies of all the presentation material from the open house are available on the RDEK’s website: www.rdek.bc.ca.

RDEK

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