P2: Institutional and Public Use

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

Homes for staff, such as a church manse; a security or operator suite

Main uses

Schools, places of worship, community care facilities, daycare, gallery or museum, bus depot, public uses; assembly, entertainment, indoor recreation, school portables, staff homes, urban agriculture

Smallest lot for a subdivision

450 m², 15 m wide, 30 m deep

Lot coverage

85%

Height limit

22 m or 5 storeys

Setbacks

Front 0 m, interior sides 1.2 m, exterior side 0 m, rear 3 m

Coverage can rise to 100% with permeable driveways or paths on 15% of the lot.

Sand and gravel extraction is allowed on part of the SE ¼ of Section 11, Township 91 (s. 7.24.7).

At 3191 Nicola Avenue (Lot A, Plan KAP47561), s. 7.24.7(b) allows the uses of the R2 zone, which Bylaw 2368 deleted and folded into R1, so what that lot may hold is unclear; ask the City of Merritt.

A security or operator suite is one home inside the main building for a caretaker, operator or security staff, one per property (s. 2.2).

Backyard hens are allowed (s. 4.39).

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.

Fences up to 1.25 m between the street and the front of the building, 2.5 m elsewhere; a 6 m sight triangle at a corner stays clear above 1.25 m (ss. 4.14, 4.15).

On a lot averaging a 15% slope or more, buildings rise no higher than 7 m above the street centreline's level at the middle of the lot (lots below the street) or above the middle of the rear lot line (lots above it), and no wall rises more than 9 m from the lowest finished grade (s. 4.21).

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.