Abbotsford – Abbotsford’s McKee Neighbourhood Plan will need to be reintroduced to Abbotsford City Council due to a procedural error.
But first as Mayor Ross Seimens noted in the March 27 Executive Committee meeting, it will go back to staff for a complete re-evaluation
On January 30, a procedural error was made with the first and second readings of the bylaw for the McKee Neighbourhood Plan. This was discovered after the Public Hearing on March 6.
That hearing was five hours long with a full gallery at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium featuring a number of presentations both pro and con. Many were against the proposal as it stood.
According to a staff report released March 24, the error related to a series of resolutions that was listed in the agenda packages for both the afternoon and evening meetings on January 30 in relation to the McKee Neighbourhood Plan.
As a result, the specific resolutions required by the Local Government Act to be approved at the Regular Council meeting were not formally before Council when voting took place and the bylaw will need to be reintroduced again. This also means that the Public Hearing will need to be repeated in order to meet legislative requirements for adopting an amendment to the City’s Official Community Plan.
This adds to the frustration to those who attended that five hour long meeting, as there were a number of residents who were concerned about what the development would do to the area.
At the March 27 Executive Committee meeting, Seimens asked that council return the plan back to city staff for further review.
From the City of Abbotsford Twitter: At today’s Executive Committee Meeting, Mayor & Council directed staff on the next steps for the McKee Neighbourhood Plan. The feedback received will be considered to see if the plan warrants any updates as a result of that input before being reintroduced for a 1st & 2nd reading.
From Ross Frederick Brown, Abbotsford Policy Corner:
McKee Neighbourhood Plan Overview
Stage 4 Council Report (Updated for the new Council) – January 23, 2023 (Pages 2 and 40)
