Case 23247 - Measurement of Building Height under the Sackville Drive Land Use By-law

Request

Request by North West Community Council to amend the measurement of height for buildings in the Sackville Drive Land Use By-law.

Proposal

On July 12, 2021, North West Community Council made a motion that
directed staff to commence the planning process to amend the Sackville Drive Land Use By-law to allow for the height of a building to be based on the mean grade of the building, not the lowest grade of the curb.

The Sackville Drive LUB currently regulates building height under Part 6 General Provisions for all Zones, as follows:

“27 (a) The height of a building in all zones shall be not more than 50ft (15.24m) in height measured from the established grade at front property line. 

On corner lots where there is a difference in established grade on each lot frontage at the street line, the height requirement shall be measured from the street frontage with the lower grade.

On lots where there is a difference in established grade, the height requirement shall be measured from the lower grade. 

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, chimneys, antennae, flag poles, bell towers, spires, steeples, vents or other roof or building appurtenances extending from the surface of a roof shall not be measured in calculating building height; however, such appurtenances shall not: 

1. be habitable living space,
2. extend more than ten (10) feet above the building height. 

Further, any such building appurtenance shall be integrated with the architectural treatments of the buildings and roof structure.”

A change to the definition above would impact all properties within the Sackville Drive Secondary Planning Strategy area.

Process

The application will be considered under the Land Use By-law Amendment Process 

Status

The application is currently in the public consultation stage. We are inviting questions and comments on the proposal. Following public consultation, municipal staff will draft the Land Use By-law amendments and write a staff report for review by the North West Community Council. Should Community Council wish to consider the proposal, a public hearing will be scheduled. The public hearing is an opportunity for you to share your opinion about the application to Community Council. 

View a narrated presentation about this case on our YouTube page 

Things to consider when providing your comments/feedback:
• What do you like about the proposal?
• Are there parts of the proposal that concern you?
• If you have concerns, what would you like to see changed?
All comments and feedback are welcome. Please provide your feedback by June 30, 2022. You may provide feedback to the planner processing the application, Paul Sampson, by email or by phone at 902-717-8125.

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

View the staff report, submitted to North West Community Council on July 12, 2021, which has detailed information on the request.