Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (July 05/99) - The rules governing what you can build in Iqaluit and where you can build it are undergoing a major renovation.

Flaws in the existing rules, known as the zoning bylaw, have been highlighted by the rapid pace of development.

"What we are doing is making the bylaw a lot more specific," said project co-ordinator Matthew Hough. "Right now, the bylaw is open to excessive interpretation."

Interpretation, in the case of the zoning bylaw, blurs the lines defining what can be built where.

One example of the uncertainty of interpretation is homes built in areas where only industrial or transportation development is supposed to occur.

In the draft bylaw the consultants noted provisions in the existing bylaw have allowed some forms of residential development are permitted in those zones.

"Some have interpreted those provisions to mean that permanent residential facilities can be established...the policies of the General Plan clearly indicate the opposite."

The consultants propose to correct that situation by specifying that only bachelor "caretaker" units are allowed in those zones.

The line between single family and multifamily residential units has also been blurred.

Under the existing bylaw, "Two family" units are, with the permission of council, allowed to be built, and have been built, in single family residential zones. The consultants are recommending that option be eliminated.

Town council will listen to concerns and answer questions regarding the proposed changes at a public hearing scheduled for July 13 at 7 p.m. Copies of the proposed changes are available at the town office.

Planning ahead

At the same time it is refining its ability to regulate development, the town is discussing with the territorial government a better way to accommodate growth.

Currently, the town must apply on a project by project basis for funding for infrastructure and subdivision development.

In the larger municipalities of the western Arctic, municipalities receive lump sums of money each year from the territorial government for capital projects.

Block funding agreements typically run for three to five years. Knowing how much money they have to spend in advance provides towns with a greater ability to plan ahead.

"There have been some discussion of looking at block funding," said Coun. Matthew Spence, chairman of the committee charged with dealing with development. He emphasized the discussions are still in the preliminary stage.

Spence estimated the town would require $2.5 million - $3 million a year in funding from the territorial government.