Tag Archives: Meredith Starkey

Politics, Transportation

The SRD’s Active Transportation Planing Grant opens the door for larger opportunities

The Active Transportation Network Planning grant that Quadra Island received, and both Cortes Island and Area D are applying for, opens the door to far larger opportunities. 

As Meredith Starkey, Manager of Planning for the Strathcona Regional District (SRD), explained “Active transportation means anything human powered: walking, cycling, and rolling in the sense of skateboarding or some other type of device that you might use to roll.” 

“This is the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant Program that’s administered through the Ministry of Transportation (MOTI) and Infrastructure. They have  a sub grant  that is specifically for active transportation network planning.” 

“What we have is the network planning grant.” 

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Transportation

SRD Applying for Active Transportation Planning Grants on Cortes and in Area D

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a grant to develop plans for walking, cycling and rolling (skateboard, roller skates etc) infrastructure on Cortes Island and in Area D. 

The Ministry of Transportation refers to these as active means of transportation and has made Active Transportation Network Planning Grants of up to $50,000 available to communities with populations under 25,000. 

If their applications are successful, the SRD plans to match the funding with money obtained through the Community Works Fund (better known as the Gas Tax). 

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Development, Housing

Sept 12 Zoning Bylaw Review Meeting in Mansons Hall

Close to 60 Cortes Island residents turned out for the Zoning Bylaw Review Meeting in Manson’s Hall on Thursday, September 12th. The following article consists of audio clips of the main speakers, taken at the meeting, and an interview with Regional Director Mark Vonesch the following morning.   

Mark Vonesch: “Leading up to it, I think there was a little bit of tension in the air. ‘What’s going to happen?’ ‘How are we going to change our zoning in a way that’s good for Cortes and  protecting what we have here, but also making room for more housing  and addressing the housing challenges that we face?’”  

“I think the key takeaway is this is a process that we’re still in the middle of. There’s still lots of opportunity for input. We’ve had four meetings leading up to this. Last night’s meeting was about presenting the summary of the findings from the previous meetings, and giving us a sense of what the Zoning Bylaw draft is going to look like.”

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Housing, Politics

Area C Opts-in; New Details About The Short Term Rental Accommodation Act

Area C ‘opted-in’ to the Short Term Rental Accommodation Act at the SRD Board meeting yesterday. There was a spirited discussion in which the Director from Area D and two of his Campbell River colleagues discussed their reservations. Regional Director Mark Vonesch showed everyone an exception that would allow some absentee landlords to continue operating their short term rentals. When the final vote was taken, Area C’s motion to opt-in was approved with only two dissenting Directors. 

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Housing

Community Meeting for Cortes Zoning Bylaw Update

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Around 60 people turned out for the Strathcona Regional District’s (SRD) zoning bylaw meeting in Mansons Hall at 1 PM on Wednesday, March 6. 

The meeting went very differently from how the SRD planned it. There was to have been a short presentation, after which participants were to have gathered around two maps and put sticky dots on the properties where the bylaws should be changed to allow for greater densification. Instead, this was a community conversation.

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