City of Powell River · zoning
The MC zone in Powell River.
Milltown Centre. What the bylaw lets you build, how big the lot has to be, and how close to the lines you can go, in plain words with the section for each.
From the zoning bylaw. General information, not legal or planning advice. The adopted bylaw, as the City of Powell River reads it, is always the final word.
Check a lot in Powell RiverThe rules
MC at a glance
| What you can use it for | single family dwellings; one secondary suite in a single family dwelling only; one duplex; rest homes or group homes for ≤5 persons within a single family dwelling; multiple family dwellings incl. townhouse, cluster housing and apartment buildings; boarding houses; home based business; in-home child care; retail stores; personal service establishments; commercial and professional offices and financial institutions; traveller accommodation use; printing shops, artist studios and galleries; assembly use; entertainment use; civic use; light manufacturing, processing, wholesaling and repair; residential uses within a commercial or industrial building; accessory buildings and uses; enclosed storage only at 5831 Ash Avenue (Lots 7–15 Block 10 DL 450 Plan 6606); apartment of ≤10 units at 5845 Arbutus Avenue; liquor store use; restaurant; cannabis retail store use (10.8.3). Non-residential lots: commercial/industrial uses fully enclosed, no outside storage; light manufacturing/repair visible through display windows or open plans; mixed uses allowed in one building (10.8.5) |
|---|---|
| Dwelling units | SFD + one secondary suite; one duplex; townhouse/cluster ≥290 m² (3,120 sqft) lot area per unit; apartments with surface parking max 3 units on the first 930 m² (10,010 sqft) then ≥95 m² (1,020 sqft) per additional unit; with ≥60% of parking underground max 4 units on the first 930 m² (10,010 sq ft) then ≥75 m² (805 sqft) per unit (10.8.4); FAR not stated |
| Smallest lot for subdivision | Table 3 (m², m): SFD & duplex 545 / width 15 / depth 27; townhouse & cluster 930 / 27 / 27; apartment 930 / 27 / 27; all other permitted uses 270 / 7.5 / 27 |
| Setbacks (front / side / rear / side on a road) | Table 3, front / side / rear / side flank (m): SFD & duplex 4.5 / 0.9 / 7.5 / 3.0; townhouse & cluster 7.5 / 3.0 / 9.0 / 4.5; apartment 7.5 / 3.0 / 9.0 / 4.5; all other uses 1.8 / 1.5 / 3.0 / 4.5 |
| Height | SFD & duplex 8.5 m (28 ft); townhouse & cluster 8.5 m (28 ft); apartment 13.5 m (44 ft); all other uses 13.5 m (44 ft); max 2½ storeys except apartment buildings (10.8.2(a)) / accessory 4.9 m (16 ft) (SFD & duplex), 4.0 m (13 ft) (townhouse, cluster, apartment), not stated for other uses |
| Lot coverage | 40% all uses (Table 3) |
| Shops, garages and sheds: size | not stated |
| Shops, garages and sheds: setbacks | Table 3 accessory buildings (residential uses): from principal building 1.8 m (5.9 ft); from street line 3 m (9.8 ft); from lane 1.5 m (4.9 ft); from rear/side lot line 0.9 m (3.0 ft) (SFD & duplex) or 3.0 m (9.8 ft) (townhouse, cluster, apartment); not in any required front or side setback (10.8.2(b)); not stated for other uses |
| Parking | Part 6 by use (6.5.3–6.5.4): retail/personal service ≤185 m² (1,991 sq ft) 1 per 23 m² (248 sq ft) GFA; shopping centre/supermarket 1 per 30 m² (323 sq ft); offices 1 per 35 m² (377 sq ft); restaurants/licensed 1 per 5 seats; hotels/motels 1 per sleeping unit + 1 per employee; manufacturing/industrial 1 per 90 m² (969 sq ft); warehousing/wholesale 1 per 150 m² (1,615 sq ft); parking in a commercial/industrial front setback ≥2 m (6.6 ft) from the front lot line, landscaped between (6.2.2) |
Metric figures are the bylaw's own. Feet and acres are converted for reading and rounded.
One lot, not the zone
What the zone page can't tell you
- Whether your lot is actually in this zone. Check the zoning map, not the listing.
- Whether a permit area, floodplain, stream setback or farmland reserve sits over the lot. Each adds steps.
- Whether site-specific rules or a covenant on title change what this table says.
- What council has decided on the street lately.
The lot report answers those for one address.
Check a lot
What can you build on your lot in Powell River?
This page is the zone. The report is your lot: the zone it's actually in, the setbacks drawn on a plan in feet, how many dwelling units it allows, floodplain, streams, farmland and permit areas, with the source for every rule. $9, on screen in about a minute, with a PDF to keep.
Check a lot in Powell RiverLot report $9; Pro $20 a month. Prices in CAD, plus applicable taxes.
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