Residents in Kamloops hoping to push back against residential developments in their neighborhood will no longer have a voice before City Council.

Under the new changes being adopted by Kamloops City Council, as long as a residential development — in which at least half of the floor space is set aside for residential use — fits within the Official Community Plan, there will no longer be rezoning hearings.

“[It] Reflects legislative changes [by the BC government] that were adopted last year,” Community Development Manager Stephen Bentley told Kamloops Council.  “It’s going to make our rezoning process more efficient.”

Under the changes, the usual notification process for residents living within 100 to 400 meters of a redevelopment will no longer take place.

“Notice that a public hearing is not being held, which really just indicates the process by which the bylaw will be adopted, is going to be sent to the owner and tenant of the property being rezoned only, not to a broader radius,” said Bentley.

However, for larger developments, Bentley notes there may be some room for locals in the neighborhood to have their voices heard.

“KamPlan encourages proponents of multi-family developments to conduct community consultation, separate from the public hearing process,” said Bentley. “That is not a requirement I would note. That’s a voluntary thing that we encourage developers to do.”

The BC government is mandating the changes as part of its broader Homes for People plan, which includes speeding up the development process to get more homes built.