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PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE:
Page 35 Development Permit Areas
Creating a DPA is a way to shape the development or redevelopment of a given area, and guidelines for the DPA (in the OCP or in a zoning bylaw) can include both broad prescriptions for land use as well as site specific requirements. Preparing for climate change impacts may mean updating existing DPAs to account for different levels of risk or changes to best practices, or in some cases developing new DPAs. There is already well-established practice in BC with respect to using DPAs to manage land use in areas with defined hazards, such as interface wildfires, or slope stability issues and many examples to draw on. DPAs for wildfire hazards may also include requirements about landscaping and the siting, form, exterior design and finish of buildings. DPAs can also be used to restrict development and protect and/or restore natural features and areas, and can be used to help protect key natural ecosystems in the face of climate change.
DPAs can offer local governments a more flexible approach to regulating development than zoning because guidelines can specify results and allow site-specific solutions. For example, a DPA can specify a certain level of onsite stormwater infiltration, while a zoning bylaw could only specify the site coverage allowed.
The Local Government (Green Communities) Statutes Amendment Act (2008) created the opportunity for new types of DPAs, including those designed to promote energy and water conservation. Local governments can employ these DPAs to help make their communities more resilient to climate change impacts like water shortages and potential disruptions in centralized energy supply due to heavy seasonal demand or extreme weather events. Like
DPAs for wildfire hazards, they may also include requirements about landscaping and the siting, form, exterior design and finish of buildings to further energy and water conservation and greenhouse gas reduction goals. For more information see
DPAs can offer local governments a more flexible approach to regulating development than zoning because guidelines can specify results and allow site- specific solutions.
An Implementation Guide for Local Governments in British Columbia DPAs for energy and water conservation may also establish restrictions on the type and placement of trees and other vegetation in proximity to the buildings and other structures in order to provide for the conservation of energy, which can be considered in the context of reducing the heat island effect in urban areas. DPAs can be used together with complementary measures such as servicing requirements, development cost charges and other local government tools to achieve climate change adaptation objectives
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AREAS: Local Government Act, ss. 919.1-920
In an OCP a local government may designate areas within its jurisdiction where development permits are required before any subdivision, rezoning, construction or (in some cases) any disturbance of the land may occur, the reason the development permit is required, along with guidelines outlining the requirements for obtaining a development permit (which may be in the OCP or a zoning bylaw). The range of purposes that may be relied on for creating development permit areas is quite broad. Those of most interest with respect to climate change adaptation measures are likely protection of the natural environment, protection of the community from hazardous conditions, and establishing objectives to promote conservation of water and energy