Do you remember the homes which fell down the river bank? Have you ever tried to visit a ravine area and couldn’t get past the row of houses? Hopefully these problems are a thing of the past in new development areas. The City is once again attempting to create a Top of Bank (TOB) policy which would regulate developments at the top of river and ravine valley banks.
EFCL invites you to join in the discussions as we work with the City, environmental groups and the development industry to prepare a policy which would regulate new developments on the top of banks. If you are interested in having input, contact Bev at EFCL as soon as possible. The proposed policy will be discussed at a Public Hearing at City Hall, September 23, 2009.
How close do you think development should be to the edge of the river/ravine bank? The minimum setback has been 7.5 meters but this barely provides enough space for the 6 meter right of way required for public walkways. Some say the minimum setback should be 15 meters and perhaps greater based on geotechnical and other reports.
The most recent draft City policy continues to propose two development options. One is the Backing on Top-of-Bank Development situation. Historically EFCL has opposed this type of development because:
· walls of private development have made TOB environment reserves inaccessible to the public
· developments which did have walkways on the crest of the bank frequently lost the walkway due to erosion
· private enclaves behind private property made it easy for owners to encroach on public lands and to engage in activities which compromised the stability of the slope, and the City failed to stop encroachment.
With the problems of backing-on TOB developments in mind, EFCL has historically favored the second option – Fronting on Top of Bank Development situation with a roadway. This option satisfies important criteria:
· ensures continuous public access to environmental reserve and views along the bank
· provides a long term stable public right of way and public domain on TOB
· provides a clear line between public and private property and effectively prevents encroachment
· enhances safety of the adjacent community by providing a fire buffer and easy access for emergency vehicles
· “eyes on the street” from fronting on TOB residents provide additional safety for pedestrians and additional monitoring of environmental reserve lands.
As we move forward to an acceptable TOB policy, public access, protection of public natural areas and enhanced safety will continue to be high priority objectives; however other development options may be considered. For instance, another option could be to replace the road with a public right of way which allowed emergency vehicular access only and was more of a promenade and multi-use trail corridor.
What do you think of this option? What other ideas do you have? Contact EFCL now.