Parksville council will decide whether to allow owners of a Temple Street property to keep their private stairs down to the waterfront.
The owners of the property at 550 Temple Street applied for a development variance permit to legalize the stairs which were recently built without the permit.
The stairs need a setback variance from the required 7.5 metre setback from the top of the slope down to the water because it is steeper than 30 percent.
The stairs comply with all other required setbacks, including ending more than 15m from the “natural boundary of the sea.”
Ground Control Geotechnical Engineering Ltd. assessed the stairs after they were built and report they are geotechnically safe.
“Denial of a variance is entirely at council’s discretion and is appropriate if council believes that the proposed relaxations will (have a negative impact),” states a staff report.
Council will consider the variance at their Sept. 17 regular meeting and are soliciting public input up until then. Details are available at www.parksville.ca and at the office in the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre.