After receiving 1,196 signatures on a petition posted online on June 7, it was evident that James Bay residents are angry and frustrated with the inordinate amount of time that the unfinished gas station has languished. Almost 500 signatures were garnered within two weeks after media outlets published the story.
On Sept. 26, I delivered a powerpoint presentation to Victoria council. Although I went over the three minutes of allotted time by 18 seconds, I couldn't complete all that I wanted to relay. I devised a timeline approach from the closing of Save On Gas in 2017 to present day to illustrate what little progress has been accomplished in seven years. Presentation time flew by and there was no communication permitted with council, so I have no idea what impact my petition and presentation will have on furthering completion.
In stating the obvious, the biggest single roadblock to completion is the allowance of minimal progress in a 30-day period, which the owner takes full advantage of. Council could amend the bylaw definitions for 'Abandoned Property' and 'Unoccupied' to remove ambiguity and include more precise language on certain percentages of progress to be completed in a 30-day period. This would move projects faster to completion.
I maintain that amending the Building & Plumbing Regulation Bylaw to include specific aspects of a Good Neighbour Bylaw, (which has not been used since 2015 in Victoria) is vital. New building permits issued with expected completion dates would be ideal.
Other B.C. municipalities currently utilize various forms of the Good Neighbour Bylaw that places more responsibility on owners, fines for amount of nuisance calls in a year, applying nuisance abatement fees, substantial progress in a year, describing unsightly conditions, no intent to occupy, and other non-compliance issues.
This work must be undertaken by council and bylaw staff to finally do what is necessary to close up ambiguous building permit loopholes at the earliest possible timeframe. For them to do anything less will only add to the number of unsightly properties that are plaguing our city. We need action now. You can help by making your wishes known to your local councillor and the mayor to do what should have been done 2.5 years ago. They are the key to success.
I'd like to thank every petition supporter, the James Bay Neighbourhood Association, James Bay Local Facebook, James Bay Market and local media outlets for your support. A special thanks to Joanne Thibault of the James Bay Beacon for providing the Osoyoos Good Neighbour Bylaw prior to my presentation. It was crucial.
Jen Reimer
James Bay
