Does the Vancouver Charter give any rights to citizen (third-party) input regarding planning decisions?
That depends. A builder is permitted to build “outright” a structure that adheres to the property’s zoning restrictions.The constraints are outlined by the City of Vancouver Building By-Law and the BC Building Code. Such a structure can simply be built with a building permit issued by the Planning Department. There can be no third-party issue in such a situation, and the building permit will be granted to the applicant without challenge. If however the property is being developed that is, going beyond the property’s zoning restrictions the Planning Department needs to consider the application and may, at its discretion, allow certain relaxations. Until recently, concerned citizens have been able to appeal these relaxations at the arms-length City of Vancouver Board of Variance. For example, a large building is being proposed next to your property; it is much larger than the previous building that occupied the site, and the developer of the property had to apply to the City Planning Dep
