P1: Park and Cemetery

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

None

Main uses

Park, cemetery, daycare; restaurant, mobile vendor

Smallest lot for a subdivision

450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep (none for community gardens, playgrounds or plazas)

Lot coverage

30%

Height limit

16 m or 4 storeys

Setbacks

Front 3 m, interior sides 1.2 m, exterior side 3 m, rear 3 m

Coverage can rise to 45% with permeable driveways or paths on 15% of the lot.

Fences up to 3.5 m around cemeteries, parks, playfields and playgrounds (s. 4.14.4).

The bylaw doesn't allow short-term rental (stays under 30 days) in this zone (s. 4.34.1).

An accessory building can't be a home, a suite or a short-term rental (s. 4.16), and goes up only with or after the main building.

Minimum lot sizes apply to new lots; an existing smaller lot stays lawful (s. 4.6).

Every zone also allows public utilities, electric vehicle charging, and temporary site buildings and containers during construction (s. 4.2).

Floodplain (s. 4.30, Schedule B): land below the Province's 200-year flood level of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, or less than 1.5 m above any other watercourse, is floodplain. Floors of homes, businesses and storage there sit at least 0.6 m above that level, and fill stays 30 m from the rivers and other watercourses unless a riparian assessment allows it. Setbacks from streams follow provincial and federal rules (s. 4.24).

Site-specific exceptions listed in the bylaw by legal description can add or change uses for one property, and development permit areas, the ALR and building rules apply on top. Confirm with the City of Merritt's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: City of Merritt Zoning Bylaw No. 2284, 2020 (summarised in our words); zone map: Open Government Licence – Thompson-Nicola Regional District.