The District of West Vancouver staff is urging the council to reject a permit for an illegally built fence. The council will discuss the permit at a council meeting on September 23.
The owners of 955 20th Street want the council to override the staff’s decision and issue an Encroachment Permit so they can keep the fence and rocks the staff says were built without permits. Staff says these encroachments are on District-owned public land, do not comply with District Bylaws, and interfere with the maintenance of District utilities.
Staff is recommending that the council turn down this application.
The two-storey single-family home is located at the corner of 20th Street and between Gordon and Haywood Avenue, it is closer to the unnamed laneway off of 20th Street. The wooden fence is approximately 2.2 by 6 meters was installed this May on the boulevard on the west side of 20th Street, between the roadway and the property lines of 955 20th Street.
The staff asked the owners to remove the fence as it violated the District’s Boulevard Bylaw. However, the property owner submitted a Boulevard Encroachment Application asking to retain the fence and rocks. The request was denied.
The property owner has now appealed to the Council to reverse the decision and issue an encroachment permit to retain the fence and rocks.
According to a staff report, the Boulevard Bylaw outlines permitted landscaping on boulevards under specific conditions. While the Director can issue a Boulevard Encroachment Permit for certain types of encroachments, the installed fence and river rock do not meet the criteria because it interfere with access to the underground water main, hydro pole, and overhead distribution lines.
Staff wants the council to uphold their decision and direct the owners to remove the fence and river rock from the public boulevard.
What is the point of having any bylaws, when we simply override them at our pleasure?