OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE (October 8, 2024 Staff Report)

PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT & ENGAGEMENT REPORT

TO: Committee of the Whole FROM: Leanne Taylor, MCIP, RPP, Director of Development Services DATE: September 23, 2024 MEETING DATE: October 8, 2024

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee recommend to Council:

1. Endorsing the following 10 key focus areas in the Official Community Plan review and update project and include in the Request for Proposal: Community Profile, Vision and Guiding Principles; Land Use Designations and Special Planning Areas; Housing; Transportation and Mobility; Climate Action, Adaptation and Resiliency; Environmental Preservation and Enhancement; Growth Management Considerations; Reconciliation; Development Permits and Design Guidelines; and Regional Growth Statement, Implementation and Monitoring.
2. Approving the proposed three-phase project timeline and associated project scope with a project start date of January 2025 and an anticipated completion date of September 2026 (18 months).
3. Approving the draft Terms of Reference for the Official Community Plan Advisory Committee.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to present the Committee of the Whole with information, analysis and recommendations regarding the Official Community Plan (OCP) Review and Update project.

BACKGROUND:

Council OCP Workshops

On July 17, 2023, Council workshop #2 was held on the OCP. At the workshop, Council discussed the following items:

• reflections on the Council workshop #1 that occurred on June 28, 2023
• principles and objectives to inform the OCP engagement strategy
• top-of-mind issues to be included in an OCP review
• community input to inform the OCP (i.e., what does Council feel they need to hear from the community to inform the OCP).

Council minutes and “What We Heard Summary” from workshop #2 are attached to this report as well as the Council report on workshop #1. Council feedback has been incorporated into the OCP project scope and draft Communications and Engagement Strategy.

Background on OCP Review and Update

Council approved the OCP non-core project (N-25) in the Town of View Royal’s 2024-2028 Financial Plan (refer to Attachment 4). The project objectives include the following:

• establish an engagement strategy for an OCP review and update that meets the needs and desires of the public, Council and staff
• review and update objectives, policies, and design guidelines in the existing 2011 OCP
• implement the new Provincial housing legislation in accordance with Bill 44: Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act and Bill 47: Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act.

The project would be initiated in January 2025 with an anticipated completion date of September 2026.

ANALYSIS:

OCP Project Scope

The Town’s existing OCP was adopted in 2011 and needs to be updated to reflect the changing demographics, community growth and needs, and recent provincial legislation (i.e., Bill 44: Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act). There are still many aspects of the current document that will be valuable to retain, refine and further develop. This review would also integrate the latest information, master plans and policy documents adopted by the Town in recent years.

The OCP project would establish a renewed vision and guiding principles for the Town, and plan for and manage all aspects of land use and sustainable growth over the coming decades. With substantial and meaningful public engagement, the OCP review and update would provide an opportunity to implement modern objectives, policies, and guidelines and ensure that the document is visually-appealing, user-friendly and easy to read by incorporating plain and simple language.

The project would focus on these proposed key areas:

1. Community Profile, Vision and Guiding Principles:
   • review and update the community profile, vision and guiding principles with input from the community.
2. Land Use Designations and Special Planning Areas
   • review and update land use designations;
   • review and refine the 2011 OCP’s “Community Development Framework”, with a focus on exploring opportunities to enhance mixed-use neighbourhood centres and corridors;
   • establish a key mixed-use, employment precinct along Island Highway from Six-Mile Road to the Colwood border to increase job opportunities and enhance economic development;
   • revisit the vision and location of the Town Centre; and
   • establish uses, urban design and built form principles, amenity areas, etc., for the Provincially designated Transit-Oriented Area in the Hospital Neighbourhood.
3. Housing
   • incorporate recent research undertaken by the Town on housing and land economics (i.e., Land Economics Study). It is anticipated that there will be strong community interest in analyzing housing capacity, and exploring diverse housing forms and how different housing forms can fit into neighbourhoods;
   • incorporate updates that reflect the calculated anticipated housing need and projections over the next 20 years, in accordance with the Local Government Act (Bill 44: Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act); and
   • enhance policies and actions related to housing affordability and attainability.
4. Transportation and Mobility
   • establish stronger connections between land use and transportation policy, including transit-oriented development (TOD); and
   • align the OCP with the Active Transportation Network Plan (2023).
5. Climate Action, Adaptation and Resiliency
   • bring a climate action lens to the policies that guide planning and land use decisions;
   • align OCP with the Town’s Community Climate Action Strategy (2022);
   • enhance policies and actions that focus on energy efficient site and building design, water conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
6. Environment Preservation and Enhancement
   • align OCP with forthcoming Urban Forest Strategy, natural asset management, parks inventory and long-term parks planning;
   • enhance tree preservation and protection policies and guidelines; and
   • review and update environmental protection and natural hazard development permit areas and associated design guidelines.
7. Growth Management Considerations
   • take into consideration the provision of adequate servicing, transportation capacity, parks and recreation, schools, community health etc., and how to pay for it; and
   • identify potential new sites for parks and open spaces, and other amenities, where required.
8. Reconciliation
   • expand historic context to include pre-colonial culture, art, and physical resources and assets to recognize the long history of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations; and
   • explore how the British Columbia Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act might be used to further reconciliation efforts at the local level.
9. Development Permit Areas and Design Guidelines
   • review and update of the Town’s Development Permit Areas and associated design guidelines by including best practices in urban design and built environment, and environmental preservation and enhancement;
   • strengthen Development Permit Area guidelines with an increased emphasis on how design can contribute to placemaking in View Royal; and
   • incorporate energy efficiency, GHG reductions and water conservation in Development Permit Areas.
10. Regional Context Statement, Implementation Strategy and Monitoring
    • update the Regional Context Statement to reflect the new OCP;
    • fulfill the legislative requirements of OCPs;
    • update implementation strategy; and
    • develop a monitoring program and complete a program baseline.

To ensure that the project is successful and incorporates significant and meaningful community and stakeholder engagement, it is recommended that the OCP review and update is executed in three phases with phase 1 and 2 to be completed in 18 months and phase 3 to be completed after. This is an ambitious timeline to complete an OCP review and update; and therefore, it will be critical for the Town to follow the approved workplan and Communications and Engagement Strategy to complete the project in the allotted timeframe. The proposed phased approach is summarized as follows:

The proposed project schedule is summarized in the following table:

Table 1. Proposed Project Schedule

Community, Council and Staff Engagement

Town staff would lead the public engagement process guided by the Town's OCP Communications and Engagement Strategy with support from the consultant. The draft Strategy will be presented in a separate staff report for the Committee's consideration.

OCP Review Advisory Committee

Advisory committees are established pursuant to the Community Charter to assist Council by providing public input on municipal matters. These committees are advisory in nature and function within the parameters set out in their Terms of Reference. The OCP Review Advisory Committee would be a Select Committee of Council. The OCP Advisory Committee draft terms of reference are attached to this report as Attachment 5 for Council’s consideration.

To ensure the Town receives meaningful input and recommendations on a range of community issues related to the creation of an updated OCP, the Committee’s responsibilities would be as follows:

• review and provide general guidance on matters referred to it by the Town, e.g. background information, draft materials, draft vision statement, and draft plan sections;
• participate in the specified consultation activities as a way to provide guidance for the OCP review process;
• advise the Town on policy review and development in the new OCP document;
• assist in informing the community about the OCP review process and encourage participation by diverse members of the community;
• act in a strictly advisory role. The Town will consider the input and recommendations of the Committee, but it is not bound by such recommendations; and
• report to and communicate to Council through its minutes and update reports prepared by Staff.

It is recommended that the Committee is composed of the following voting members:

(a) the Mayor (Chair of the Committee); (b) one member of Council; (c) one youth representative (between the age of 15 and 18); and (d) eight (8) members at large.

The members at large would be members of the public with a significant connection to View Royal, appointed by Council on the basis of applications received by the Town. Voting membership should be diverse and represent different ages, ethnic diversities, genders and abilities as per the Town’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy. Members should be selected from the applications based on their knowledge and understanding of the Town as a whole, rather than being appointed on the basis of sectoral or group/organization representation.

The Town will advertise for applications on the Town’s website, social media, e-newsletter and in the Goldstream Gazette.

Impacts and Implications

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Community Impact: The OCP contains a series of goals, objectives, policies and implementing actions that guide the way View Royal will grow and change over time and establishes priorities for decision-making. This OCP review and update will reflect community demographics and needs, and guide sustainable growth over the next decades.

Financial Implication: In the 2024 – 2028 Financial Plan, Council budgeted up to $400,000 to complete the OCP project over 2024 and 2025. Due to the Town’s desire for a robust OCP engagement strategy and comprehensive review, it is recommended that the project be carried out in three phases with an updated completion date of September 2026 for Phase 1 and 2 of the project. The revised project timeline and budget would need to be reflected in the 2025-2029 Financial Plan, based on Council’s award of the contract in December 2024 that provides for the initiation of the project in January, 2025, prior to final adoption of the 2025-2029 Financial Plan.

Inter-governmental Relations Impact: Staff will engage with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, other government agencies and organizations, and neighbouring municipalities.

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Strategic Plan: Strategic Priority B: Sustainable Development Goal 1 Managed Growth 1(a): Official Community Plan (OCP) review to align with Housing Needs Report and Zoning Bylaw, update Development Permit Area design guidelines, and other aspects of the OCP. Goal 2 Business Retention/Attraction 2(b): Hold a visioning session for the employment corridor (“Western Gateway”).

Official Community Plan: The Town is authorized and mandated to create an OCP through legislation contained in the LGA. The OCP provides guidance about the future use of land and municipal services. As circumstances warrant, the Town Council may amend the Plan.

Other Policy Documents: N/A

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

☐ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower ☐ N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

The Town must comply with the Provincial legislative requirements to amend the OCP by December 2025 by ensuring that the OCP is consistent with the 20-year anticipated housing need calculated in the updated Housing Needs Report. Furthermore, there are sections of the OCP that are outdated and need to be to be updated to reflect the changing demographics and community needs, which Council has committed to in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1: A copy of the July 17, 2023 Council Minutes Attachment 2: Council Report dated July 6, 2023 Attachment 3: What We Heard Summary from Council Workshop #2 Attachment 4: Official Community Plan Project Summary (N-25) Attachment 5: Draft OCP Advisory Committee Terms of Reference