Public Hearing Alert
- kc dyer
- Nov 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 2
Monday last chance to weigh in on zoning and rental amendments
Have thoughts about short-term rentals in your neighbourhood? What about the wording of zoning bylaws with regard to property setbacks along the waterfront?
Now's the time to share them.
The Village is holding public hearings addressing amendments to ensure short-term rentals comply with new provincial standards, as well as wording changes to the waterfront homes zoning bylaws. The hearings begin at 6 p.m. on Monday in Council Chambers at 6 p.m.
According to Airb&b, there are currently five properties available for short-term rental in Lions Bay, ranging in price from $1,100 -$7,500 for a five-night stay. Vrbo has three properties listed from $222-$763 per night, and Rent-By-Owner lists one luxury suite for $310 per night.
Regulations will now require a number of stipulations be met in order to make a property available for short-term rental in the Village, including:
A maximum of one short-term rental is permitted on a parcel, with a maximum of two guests per bedroom.
Two off-street parking spaces must be provided.
No short-term rental is permitted on a houseboat, in addition to a secondary suite or on property containing a child-care business.
No short-term rental is permitted on a parcel with a property line that is less than 50 metres from a school or daycare.
Short-term rental is only permitted on properties connected to a community sewer system or with a septic disposal system that is capable of handling the demand generated by the short-term rental.
View the proposed short-term rental amendments to the Zoning and Development bylaw HERE.
The bylaw referencing property set-backs is just a semantic change, clarifying the definition of front yard versus back yard in homes that abut the ocean. (For the record, the part of the yard that faces the street is considered the front yard, which means that waterfront property owners along Brunswick Road, Lions Bay Avenue and in Kelvin Grove have the ocean in their backyards.)
View the proposed amendments for the setback element of the Zoning and Development bylaw HERE.
If you are unable to make the meeting in person, you can forward your thoughts to office@lionsbay.ca before the end of the Public Hearing.
This will be your last chance to do so, as comments to Council will no longer be considered after the hearing.
Edited to add: The bylaw with changes to setback definitions (amendment 650) applies to all waterfront properties in the Village.
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There is nothing new about most requirements - they were included in the policy that has been in place since 2017. Apparently we no longer need a policy if its points are covered in the bylaw (go figure - what about the rash of new, "necessary" policies where bylaws already exist?).
My concern is that some of the safeguards put in place in response to resident input at the time and, more importantly, to address Air BnB problems here, have been removed or weakened. I'll be sending Council a letter to this effect.
Secondary suites may not be rented out as Air BnBs and that remains, but the door is now fully open to investors buying homes in LB solely…