By Frants Attorp
Applying an urban planning formula to a protected area makes no sense. Yet that is exactly what Trust Council has in mind for the Gulf Islands.
The formula, called FAR (Floor Area Ratio), is being introduced through the new Trust Policy Statement, slated for first reading at Trust Council’s July 29 meeting. When finalized, the umbrella document will guide official community plans (OCPs) on all 13 major islands.
The draft includes this: “Density may be defined by the number of units per given area of land. Density may also be measured by dividing the built area including all floor area, by the total area of the lot, e.g. floor area ratio (FAR).”
This means that limiting the number of dwellings per lot and, by extension, overall population growth, could soon be dropped as a conservation measure. The new approach would see elected officials “set floor area and lot coverage” — just like in any city.
The definition is particularly significant for Salt Spring where density means number of dwellings and the general rule is one dwelling per lot. This policy is based on the premise that more people equals more environmental degradation.
If passed, the new definition would lay the groundwork for multiple dwellings per lot, not to mention multi-storied buildings. Depending on how the concept is applied, Salt Spring’s maximum house size of 5,382 square feet could, for example, translate to a primary dwelling of 2,000 square feet plus three smaller dwellings of 1,000 square feet each, or perhaps even 10 tiny homes.
The problem with this growth model is that it ignores the long-term, cumulative impact of an increasing population on ecosystems, water supply, infrastructure, services and rural character. Even modest homes require tree felling, and it’s not as if the people who live in them don’t shower, flush toilets, drive cars, travel on ferries, generate garbage and use health care services.
Ecologist David Rapport, whose research helped shape Salt Spring’s existing OCP, states: “The real measure of our impact lies in the combined influence of our numbers (population), our consumption and our use of destructive technologies that have the capacity to degrade ecosystems even in places where population densities are very low.”
Andres Duany, professor of urban planning, writes: “Abdicating to floor area (market forces) is the opposite of aiming a community toward something more than the sum of its parts. FAR does not consider the factors affecting the environment like the new buildings, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and repercussions on local ecosystems.”
FAR can send property values soaring by turning undeveloped square footage into investment opportunities. Speculators will be pleased to note the draft Policy Statement now refers to “attainable” rather than “affordable” housing.
There’s also the sticky issue of short-term rentals, which deliver fast profits to property owners while robbing full-time residents of accommodation. Given past experience, the requirement to “where necessary, regulate and limit” does not inspire confidence.
There is only one way to resist this development agenda: participate in the upcoming public engagement process and call for non-market housing and defined, science-based growth limits. We must remind trustees of the destructive power of the free market and their duty to protect these islands for future generations.