Development Permits
If your property is located within one or more Development Permit Areas, you may need a Development Permit before
- altering land or vegetation
- constructing, adding or altering a building or structure
- subdividing land.
There are eleven Development Permit Areas in the District of Sechelt, which serve various purposes including:
- Protecting the natural environment;
- Ensuring development considers hazardous site conditions, such as steep slopes; and,
- Ensuring the form and character of commercial, industrial, or multi-family development follows relevant design guidelines.
If a property is located in a Development Permit Area a Development Permit is required in advance of subdivision, building permit or land alteration, where applicable.
Environmental and Hazard Development Permit Areas
The District of Sechelt has designated certain lands as Development Permit Areas (DPAs) to ensure that land development activities are undertaken with adequate consideration of environmental values and safety from natural hazards.
Environmental DPA's include lands along the marine shoreline, estuaries, in the vicinity of watercourses, springs, wetlands, and adjacent riparian areas, or significant rocky outcrops. These areas provide important habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds, fish and wildlife. Collectively, they help maintain biodiversity and ecological function.
Objectives:
- Protect sensitive terrestrial sites and upland areas, including visually sensitive areas
- Protect aquatic resources associated with creeks, marshes and wetlands, and marine/foreshore areas
- Protect unique and/or sensitive sites which may contain elements of both terrestrial and aquatic habitats
Natural hazard DPA's are designated over lands identified as being potentially hazardous for development – these lands may be prone to rock falls, landslides, debris floods/flows, mud flows, flooding, streambank erosion, coastal erosion, or wildfire. Additional hazards may exist, both within or outside the DPAs, that become evident on specific sites during the building permit or development process.
Objectives:
- Direct development away from hazardous land or portions of sites, and ensure safety of properties and residents
- Require site specific assessment and field review to determine actual extent and location of hazards
- Require that appropriate measures, such as adequate building setbacks or cut and fill precautions be taken where potential geotechnical or flood hazards exist
See detailed information in the OCP for each of the Environmental/Hazard DPA's:
DPA 2 – Watercourses (Habitat protection and creek hazards)
DPA 3 – Marine, Foreshore and Shoreline Areas
DPA 4 – Rocky Beach Front/Escarpment, Rockfall and Upland Slope Hazards
When is a Development Permit Required?
Unless specifically exempted, all properties within Development Permit Areas require a Development Permit issued by the District of Sechelt prior to:
- Subdivision approval
- Construction of a building or structure (including additions or alterations)
- Alteration of the land including, but not limited to, the following activities:
- Site clearing or site grading
- Removal, alteration or cutting of trees or vegetation
- Disturbance of soils, rocks or other native site materials
- Creation of non-structural impervious or semi-impervious surfaces (such as driveways or patios)
- Flood protection or erosion protection works
- Construction of roads, trails, docks, wharves or bridges
- Installation of drainage, hydro, water, sewer or other utilities.
Please speak to Planning Department staff to determine specific requirements for any development on your property.
Engaging the services of Qualified Professionals
Site-specific field investigation by appropriate Qualified Professionals is required to determine actual environmental values or hazard areas on your property.
What is needed for submitting a development application?
During a pre-application meeting with Planning staff, we will discuss your proposed development and the specific requirements for your property. We will review the complete application checklist for the proposal.
Once you have provided a complete package with all the required information and fee payments, your application will be entered into the queue and you will be notified of a decision or next steps.
You can use the web map below to locate your property and determine if it is affected by environmental Development Permit Areas. The web map only shows development permit areas 1 to 5 and does not show form and character development permit areas.
Alternatively you may download the following PDF maps showing:
Form and Character Development Permits
A Development Permit for form and character is required for all multi-family, commercial, and industrial development in the District of Sechelt. Single-Family Dwellings do not require a form and character development permit, however, infill housing such as laneway homes, cottages, and coach houses do require a form and character Development Permit under DPA 8.
• DPA 6 Downtown Sechelt (in land use designation Downtown Centre)
• DPA 7 Multiple Family Residential (more than 3 units, for multifamily designated or zoned lands)
• DPA 8 Intensive Residential and Infill Housing
•DPA 9 Commercial Areas
• DPA 10 Business and Industry
• DPA 11 Mixed Residential/Commercial Neighbourhood
Retaining Walls
Building permits complete with the design by a registered professional (Engineer) are required for retaining structures that are greater than 1.2 m in height at any point or a series of retaining structures that are cumulatively greater than 1.2 m in height and have a setback from one and other of less than two units of measurement horizontally to one unit of measurement vertically.