It might be the end of the year, but the last public hearing for Burnaby is a big one.
Right before the holidays set in, the public will have a chance to voice their support or concerns at a Dec. 10 public hearing, which will include the secondary suite program, the Brentwood mall redevelopment and marijuana production facilities.
More than 5,800 unauthorized secondary suites, or one in five of single-family dwellings in Burnaby, are what the City of Burnaby wants to legalize. Council first approved, in principle, the proposal for a secondary suite program back in April, with 25 individually staff recommended approaches to implement them.
Burnaby is one of the last cities in the Lower Mainland to implement such a program.
If it moves forward, the program will be brought in through administrative changes to the city's permit, licence and fee systems, bylaws, regulations, and guidelines. Implementation is expected to happen in January 2014, but the program may not be enforceable until January 2015.
Brentwood Town Centre's first phase of redevelopment will also be discussed at the hearing. The mall's owner, Shape Properties, presented a conceptual master plan that was approved by council in September. The four-phased approach for the mixed-use retail, office and multiple family redevelopment of the Brentwood mall site is expected to span about 20 years.
The first phase includes turning the mall's eight-acre parking lot in front of the SkyTrain station entrance into a central plaza, and erecting two highrises at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Alpha Avenue, and the other on the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Halifax Street.
The next public hearing will also include a small change for medical marijuana production facilities trying to set up shop in the city. A text amendment will ensure that any facility wanting to open in Burnaby will have to go through a full review beforehand.
Recently, council decided to make a bylaw change that would allow the production, finishing, packaging, warehousing and distribution of medicinal marijuana in a manufacturing or industrial zone. It was in response to the new federal legislation this past summer regarding the production of medicinal marijuana on a larger scale by private entities. The city decided to use a rezoning bylaw to allow council and the public to have some say when it comes to a facility in their backyard.
"I hope, at least, in this city we get a handle on this because the reality is the federal government is slowly marching towards legalization of marijuana, like it or not, regardless of what your position may be on this issue," said Coun. Nick Volkow at a recent council meeting.
Coun. Paul McDonell said he was concerned with gangs trying to come in the city to turn a profit.
"Who owns these licenses?" he asked. "That's where the money is. I want to see a change. That'll be a concern, is how do we police this thing?"
According to assistant deputy city clerk Sid Cleave, the Brentwood mall and secondary suite program was postponed from its Nov. 26 public hearing because there were many projects on that agenda.
The meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10 begins at 7 p.m. inside council chambers at city hall, 4949 Canada Way. For more information, visit www.burnaby.ca.
