1. INTRODUCTION Manjit welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

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1 WEST VANCOUVER BUILDERS FORUM MEETING NOTES DATE: LOCATION: Marine Room, Seniors Activity Centre IN ATTENDANCE: Brian Uhrynhiuk; Kevin Kennett, Chris WVHA, Yuri Morgun Eurohouse Construction; Roman Becciu, Eurohouse Construction; Igor Morgun Eurohouse Construction; Ron Osterman Can Rec Homes; Michael Upward Upward Construction; Mike Lightbody MP Lightbody Ltd; Akbar Aldamid; Kourosh Hadavi CGA Construction & Geoservices; Massoud Karimaei Avestex Construction; Andrew Elliott BPP; Susanne Stacey; Amir Lajevardi; Gordon Hlynsky; Greg Nielsen G.D. Nielsen Development Ltd; Warren Barrow OBR Construction; Scott Manderson Mulberry Property Group; Sam Whiffin Mulberry Property Group; Marque Thompson Design Marque; Jamieson Merritt Arbutus Point Developments; Paul Butler Paul Butler Designs & WVHA; Bill Chapman Chapman Land Surveying; Dennis Wager Apex Equipment Rentals; Farzim Yadegari Farzin Yadegari Architects; Brian Wood Artwork Houses; Clarence -; DWV COUNCILLORS: Mary-Ann Booth; Craig Cameron DWV STAFF: Nina Leemhuis Chief Administrative Officer; Bob Sokol Director of Planning, Land Development and Permits; Chris Bishop Manager of Development Planning; Tony Tse Manager of Development Engineering; Lindsay Hoeberechts Planning Clerk 1. INTRODUCTION Manjit welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made. 2. AGENDA REVIEW Item 4.3 Soil Deposit and Blasting Bylaws was moved to Item 4.1 on the Agenda, and Item 4.4 Building Bulk Public Engagement Process and Meetings Dates was moved to Item 4.2 on the Agenda. The Agenda items were renumbered accordingly. 3. REVIEW DECEMBER 11, 2104 MEETING NOTES There were no amendments made to the Meeting Notes of December 11, Manjit updated several of the Action Items as follows: 1. Permits Clerks should be able to read notes in the software properly/provide those notes so that clients don t have to go to other areas, such as Land Development/Engineering, to obtain information. Staff is in the process of reviewing applicable software and is anticipating implementing Permitting software by the end of this year. This is a line item in the 2015 Work Plan.

2 2. Work with group to identify one or two point people through which to vet forms. The purpose of the Builder s Forum is to work with the entire group, and forward to all members a copy of the draft forms for feedback, prior to final production. Once input has been received, staff will edit the draft forms and resend the final versions to the group, including the effective date. It is not the intent of staff to provide drafts to one or two point people only. 3. Post list of applications under current review with plan examiners both online and to reception area. An online list of permit applications was introduced at the beginning of January 2015 and this list is updated on a biweekly basis. A whiteboard has been installed at the Building Permit counter showing the date of permits being checked. It was noted that this pertains to the first review of permits, not any subsequent reviews. 4. Will look into what kinds of inspections are being done and try to identify efficiencies. This issue is listed in the 2015 Work Plan and will also be a component of the new Inspection Scheduling software. 5. Send out HPO pdf to group to ensure all members have the same information and are aware of the new requirements. 6. Bob Sokol requested members to review proposed changes to the Soil Deposit and Blasting Bylaws through the lens of liability and indemnification, and to send any comments to Tony Tse, Manager of Land Development Engineering, by January 16, This action item has been completed and the Bylaws will shortly be presented to Council for First Reading. 4. NEW 4.1 Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw and Blasting Bylaw Tony Tse spoke to the proposed amendments to the Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw and the Blasting Bylaw, and advised that these will be presented to Council for First Reading on either May 11 th or May 25 th. He thanked members of the Forum for their input and stressed that the changes made are more housekeeping and minor changes. Members are invited to provide input to Council on the proposed changes at the Council Meeting. Discussion and Comments: Any major changes to the Bylaws will require input from not only the Builder s Forum but also other interested parties, including residents who would be impacted by such changes. Page 2

3 There will be no change to volumes at this time. Discussions around volumes will be part of the public consultation piece relative to building bulk. At that time, smaller forum groups may be struck to have more specific conversations. At a past public consultation meeting, it was noted that residents seek less rock removal and fewer trees coming down. Staff is working to find a balance between members of the public and the building industry. It is important to educate the public on the fact that blasting is a very controlled process and it is safe if the contractor follows the guidelines. The nuisance factor to, and safety of, residents who live close to drilling sites is an issue. This becomes more prevalent in the summer months when more drilling sites are active and residents spend more time outside their houses. Staff is working to alleviate this while still recognizing the needs of the building industry. Blind form this form of construction is higher risk. If done incorrectly, this can result in water issues. Zoning, blasting, driveways etc. some have guidelines while others fall under bylaws and it has been difficult to obtain consistent interpretation from staff. It was suggested that mechanisms be available to allow for flexibility for each specific site such as allowing more blasting to improve neighbours views or the orientation of the new house. Staff noted that they are not permitted to administratively change a Bylaw without seeking consent from Council. However, there may be an ability to review current bylaws to ascertain whether they need to remain as bylaws or could be changed to guidelines. It was stressed that the District is bound under the Local Government Act to govern in a certain way and this cannot be challenged. Overblasting Staff advised that this is not a bylaw issue and they endeavour to ensure that sites are not overblasted intentionally, and that the work is completed within two weeks to reduce impacts on neighbours. Rock crushing this is a new amendment to the bylaw due to complaints from residents. Further discussion ensued around the current bylaws, and staffs interpretation of these on a daily basis. Nina reiterated that significant public consultation will be held shortly to hear what the community wants around bulk building, and requested that further discussion on the Soil Deposit and Blasting Bylaws be deferred until the end of June. It was requested by members that they be involved in the wording of the questions to be put to the residents at the public consultations sessions. Staff responded that, although they recognize and value the professional opinions of the Builders Forum, there are other groups in the community whose voices also need to be heard. Discussion continued and frustration was expressed by the members on the lack of a third party to quantify facts brought to Council by the Planning Staff. There is a need for everyone to work together as a team. Action: Staff to the final version of the Soil Deposit and Blasting Bylaws to the Builders Forum prior to the May 11 th Council Meeting. Page 3

4 4.2 Building Bulk Public Engagement Process and Dates of Meetings Chris Bishop provided a brief update on the upcoming Public Engagement Process, requested by Council, as follows: Open Houses: o Wednesday, April 29 th from 3pm 7pm o Saturday, May 23 rd from 9am Noon. Both these events will be held in the Community Centre Atrium. Staff is planning to host workshops with members of the building community, and scheduled dates are: o Friday, April 24 4th (1pm 3pm) o Tuesday, April 28th (7pm 9pm) o Thursday, April 30 th (9am 11am) Studies around community character and building bulk are available for review and feedback. Chris suggested that those members interested in attending a workshop sign up at Each workshop will comprise 15+ participants to allow for meaningful discussion and interaction. There will also be a Town Hall meeting on May 26 th this will be advertised on the District s website and in local newspapers. It is anticipated that Staff will present a summary of public feedback to Council by mid- June. Concern was raised over the lack of feedback to issues raised by the Builders Forum in the past. Staff advised that dates for public engagement will be forthcoming shortly and interested parties are encouraged to sign up on the website. It was suggested that a workshop be held on the issue of blasting, in order to come up with a viable proposal, including alternatives to blasting. Staff responded that a small group could meet to discuss this issue. Nina, Tony and Chris left the meeting at this time. 4.3 Current Building Permits Review: Wait Times and 2015 Year End Goals Manjit reviewed the current wait times for permits review and advised that these have been reduced from the December 2014 wait times. Delays were due to staffing changes. Page 4

5 It was queried whether staff has considered hiring professionals to assist in fasttracking permit approvals. A significant amount of time is spent on average grade calculations it was suggestions that some of this work could be completed by professional surveyors. Staff responded that they are looking into the option of a professional-expedited process. Once drafted, the proposal will be brought to the Builders Forum for comment. There is a disconnect between surveyors and the Building Department on the issue of straight line interpolation. It was suggested that a group of surveyors be invited to meet with members of the Building Department to resolve this issue. 4.4 Quality of Submissions and Revisions Manjit reported that last October procedures were implemented to improve the approval process. The next step is for staff to develop protocols to encourage submission of complete permit application packages. Currently, builders are often submitting applications in bits and pieces at varying times and this is resulting in delays in the permit process. The purpose of the new system will be to enable staff to process a permit on the first submission builders will be asked to ensure that everything complies with the bylaws prior to submitting to the District. Once the protocols have been drafted, they will be ed to the Builders Forum for input. Concern was raised around interpretation of bylaws by plan checkers, especially new plan checkers who may interpret bylaws differently. There have been recent incidents of plans being rejected due to this issue. Staff requested that members bring them any specific issue experienced with plan checkers, for resolution, stating that bylaws should be interpreted on a consistent basis. 5. IDENTIFICATION OF ITEMS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS Manjit referred to a list of items he has received from Nina, and requested that members him with future agenda items. The Agenda is finalized two weeks prior to the next meeting date. 6. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Builders Forum is slated for Wednesday, June 24 th, This date will be confirmed shortly. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:37pm. Page 5