Key Terms

Environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) are natural areas that:

• have the potential to support healthy and diverse communities of native plants and wildlife;
• provide habitat for species at risk; and/or
• are unusual or unique within a regional context.

Our ESAs are vital for the continued healthy functioning of the valued ecosystems within Port Moody’s municipal boundaries.

A development permit area (DPA) is an area where specific measures may be required to address special conditions or meet established objectives when development activity is proposed. In the case of DPA 4 (environmentally sensitive areas), specific measures may be required to protect the natural environment and meet provincial and federal government requirements and regulations.

For other DPAs, specific measures may be required for other purposes such as protecting development from hazards or meeting established goals for the form and character of buildings.

Development permit area (DPA) guidelines outline a range of measures that may address the special conditions or established objectives for a specific DPA. Removal of invasive plant species, use of pervious paving, and adoption of nature-based stormwater management strategies are a few examples of specific measures included in the guidelines for DPA 4.

A development permit (DP) is a permit approved by City Council (or City staff in the case of a minor development permit) that identifies specific measures that must be taken as a condition of development. The measures are selected from the DPA guidelines based on the type, scale, and location of the proposed development activity.

An assessment area is a portion of land around an environmentally sensitive area (15 metres around forest ESAs and 30 metres upland from the marine high water mark) where the potential impact of development activities on nearby natural areas would need to be considered and assessed. Assessment areas are included within the boundaries of the proposed permit area; a permit may be required if development activity is planned within the designated area.

A setback is the required minimum distance between a building, structure, or other use of land and an established boundary, such as a lot (land registered as a separate parcel in the Land Title Office) boundary or a stream (measured from top of bank). Streamside setbacks are specified in the Zoning Bylaw (Section 5.4 Streamside Protection).