Policy 5.4.3 Amenity Bonus Tools

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POLICY – 5.4.2 Amenity Bonus Tools Page 1 
 
Policy: 5.4.3 
Approved By: Trust Council 
Approval Date: March 11, 1995 
Amendment Date(s):   
Policy Holder: Director of Local Planning Services 
 
AMENITY BONUS TOOLS 
Purpose 
Amenity bonus tools provide an opportunity for local communities to obtain "amenities" in return for 
permitting increase in the density of development. 
A. Definitions 
n/a 
B. Policy  
1.  Amenities gained through the use of amenity bonus tools shall be consistent with the Object 
of the Islands Trust and the Islands Trust Policy Statement. In particular, these amenities 
should enhance the preservation and protection of the environment, natural amenities, 
resources and/or community character. 
2.  Local trust committees (LTC) should determine the context for amenity bonus tools during the 
preparation or revision of official community plans or, where use of amenity bonus tools is 
proposed outside a period of plan preparation or review, the official community plan must be 
amended to permit the use of this tool. 
C. Procedure 
1.  Official Community Plan (OCP) Amendments 
OCP amendments to accommodate amenity bonus tools should deal with at least the 
following matters: 
1.1  Identification of "amenities" that are required or considered desirable in the area 
covered by the plan. There is no statutory definition of "amenities" so LTC discretion in 
this area is very broad. 
1.2  Establishment of an overall permissible density of development for the area covered 
by the plan. 
1.3  Consideration of whether the overall permissible density of development of the area 
covered by the plan would be affected by the provision of amenities. That is, does the 
provision of the amenity itself mitigate the effect of the density, such that greater 
overall density can be accommodated if the amenities are provided? 

 
POLICY – 5.4.2 Amenity Bonus Tools Page 2 
1.4  Specification of an outright permitted density at an appropriate level to allow for the 
operation of amenity bonus tools. 
1.5  Establishment of a relationship between the value of amenities to be provided and the 
value of density bonuses to be granted in at least general terms. 
2.  Zoning Bylaw Amendments 
Within the OCP context established above, zoning bylaws may either be amended on an ad 
hoc basis to authorize amenity bonuses in respect of particular sites, or a comprehensive 
zoning amendment, building in amenity bonus provisions, could be adopted. The latter 
approach would require that the LTC "pre-zone" land for a density of development that 
includes the bonus density, or some intermediate density as they see fit. The general steps 
involved in the preparation of a zoning amendment would be as follows: 
2.1  Establishment of outright permitted density for each zone. This could, but need not 
necessarily be, the same as the density already permitted in the zone, and must 
correspond to the outright density specified in the OCP. 
2.2  Establishment of maximum de

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