From housing prices to the push for street performers, laws governing development and expansion are an inescapable and omnipresent part of life in Jasper. Looking at Land Use provides an in-depth exploration of how those laws impact the lives of the park鈥檚 citizens, business owners and government鈥攗ntangling the complexities of the issues and exploring what they mean for Jasper as it heads into the future.
Undertaking a home renovation or construction project is a daunting and complicated task at the best of times, but add in Jasper鈥檚 special challenges and it would take some dedicated searching to find a place where it鈥檚 more difficult than here.
Because Jasper is in a national park, there are strict guidelines regulating just about every aspect of its development.
These rules exists to protect the ecological integrity of the park, as well as to maintain a specific aesthetic in town, and to ensure any renovations or construction projects are undertaken safely. But for residents looking to undertake small-scale renovations or construction projects, the regulations can be confusing, frustrating and time consuming.
A common project, like building a shed, requires the potential renovator to complete several steps before work can even begin.
The first of those is obtaining a development permit from Parks Canada. In order to receive the permit, the person undertaking the project has to submit detailed plans to Parks鈥� development office. The requirements for the plans are extensive, and include things like lot dimensions and elevations, information on existing parking spaces and even the 鈥渓ocation of significant landscape features鈥� like fences and trees.
And development permits can be hard to secure. The requirements for the size and placement of construction projects are laid out in detail in the 1968 federal legislation that established development rules in Jasper.
Those requirements are incredibly specific. For example, in order to build a shed in an R1 development zone (the one-family dwelling district), it can be no higher than 4.5 metres, with eaves no higher than 2.5 metres. The maximum shed size allowed is the lesser of 5.6 square metres or 10 per cent of the site it sits on.
An additional, separate permit is also required for any electrical, plumbing or gas installations that are part of a renovation project. However, it is the Municipality of Jasper that provides services like sewage and water, so homeowners need to coordinate their project with the municipality as well.
This, says Peter Waterworth, the municipality鈥檚 chief administrative officer, further confuses the process, even for Jasperites who have lived here for decades.
If the applicant鈥檚 project includes something like a parking variance, the process becomes even more complex, with Parks approving (or rejecting) the variance, and then sending that information along to the municipality, which then levees the appropriate number of spaces under the municipal parking authority.
鈥淭hat sort of two-step process is a little strange,鈥� Waterworth said.
Not only do projects have to conform to very specific rules set out in federal legislation, they also have to conform to the architectural motif outlined in the Jasper Community Sustainability Plan. This means specific materials have to be used on the outside of the building, as well as other requirements such as specific roof construction.
Simply wading through the multiple sets of rules can be daunting enough, but the process becomes further complicated if the project costs more than $25,000 (which most home improvement projects will). In those cases, the person undertaking the project must hire a professional architect to create plans for it, and have an engineer sign off on those plans.
According to local contractors, like Ken Kuzminski, this process can be an expensive and time-consuming one, as sometimes Parks requires multiple revisions to the plans.
That, combined with what some feel is constantly shifting expectations from Parks in its interpretation of its development policies, can make an already complicated process that much more painful.
鈥淭he current regulations are up to interpretations. Depending on who鈥檚 implementing those rules it鈥檚 their opinion on stuff. So it goes from an actual concrete achievable goal, to something that鈥檚 up to interpretation and opinion. And that鈥檚 the tough part in projects鈥攋ust the delay,鈥� Kuzminski said.
While Parks believes its guidelines are clear, Cathy Jenkins, Parks鈥� reality and municipal manager, said the organization recognizes the $25,000 cutoff for projects doesn鈥檛 make sense in 2014.
鈥淚f a structure鈥檚 going to be larger, then you need to have that professional input to make sure it鈥檚 safe, but if you鈥檙e just doing a small kitchen reno, bathroom reno, or you鈥檙e building a shed or something,鈥� she said, trailing off. 鈥淎 shed can cost $25,000, but you don鈥檛 need an architect.鈥�
She explained that Parks is planning to change the way they enforce their regulations, asking that projects larger than a certain size, rather than over a certain cost, require an architect.
After a homeowner secures a development permit for its project, it then needs to get a building permit. Once a development permit is issued, it is posted publicly for two weeks, and anyone who could be affected by the development (such as neighbours) gets a say before Parks issues the permit.
With a building permit in hand, the applicant can then finally start building. In the case of something like a shed, Parks still requires an inspection to be completed at 鈥渇oundation, framing and final project completion.鈥�
Depending on exactly what Parks asks for from an applicant, the entire process of obtaining the proper permits for home improvements can take more than a year, with things like hiring architects adding significant cost to a project.
Jasper residents all give up something to live so close to nature, and unfortunately for the handymen and women of the town, quick and painless home improvement projects are one of those things.
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
