OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE: FIRST DRAFT OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council provide amendments, if any, to the first draft of the Official Community Plan;

AND THAT the final draft of the Official Community Plan be updated to incorporate Council’s amendments prior to first reading of the bylaw.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION:

THAT Council authorize that the first draft Official Community Plan be prepared for first reading.

Should Council consider this option, Council would not provide recommended changes to the draft document. However, staff is seeking public feedback through the Draft Official Community Plan Survey, which launched on March 20, and will be remain open until April 15, 2026. Feedback provided through the survey would be implemented by the project team into the final draft.

In addition to the survey, the project team will review the draft to implement quality control edits, including any grammatical and stylistic changes, and refinements to ensure accuracy with other municipal documents. Once completed, the project team would prepare a final draft of the Official Community Plan (OCP), which would be presented to Committee of the Whole for review prior to first reading of the bylaw.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to introduce the first draft of the Official Community Plan (OCP) to Council for review and feedback, prior to first reading of the bylaw. A finalized bylaw will be prepared for consideration of first reading in the spring.

BACKGROUND:

The staff recommendation presented allows Council to have the opportunity to provide amendments to the first draft of the Official Community Plan. Amendments to the draft OCP must come in the form of motion(s).

The OCP Review Advisory Committee reviewed the plan on March 30, 2026. Members of the public will also be able to provide feedback on the draft plan through the “Draft Official Community Plan Survey” via the Social PinPoint website. Feedback provided through the survey would be implemented by the project team into the final draft. The project team may also consider quality control edits, including grammatical and stylistic changes, and content to ensure that there is consistency with other municipal documents.

The OCP review and update has been in progress since October 2024. Since that time, the project team has completed five rounds of public engagement and is currently in the process of completing its sixth and final round of engagement. This final round of engagement focuses on the draft of the OCP and allows Council, the OCP Review Advisory Committee, First Nations, stakeholders, and the public to review a complete draft document for the first time since beginning the review in January 2025.

Feedback collected through the Advisory Committee, Council meetings, First Nations and stakeholder engagement, and the Draft Official Community Plan Survey will be considered and implemented into the Plan prior to consideration of first reading of the bylaw, tentatively scheduled for this spring. As well, the project team will prepare a summary document of what was heard in the final round of engagement and present the findings in the spring, along with the final draft of the OCP.

ANALYSIS:

The project team has prepared an OCP Summary Report (see Attachment 1) that provides an overview of the OCP review and update process and the major changes that have been incorporated into the First Draft Official Community Plan (see Attachment 2).

In addition, a copy of the Western Gateway Special Council Meeting Facilitator Summary (see Attachment 3) is available for review. This document is a summary of the discussions and feedback provided by Council at their Special Council meeting held on February 24, 2026.

Staff welcome feedback from Council as part of this final round of engagement on the OCP.

Impacts and Implications

ALIGNMENT:

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

Strategic Plan:

Sustainable Development

• Goal 1: Managed Growth: 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 3: Access a broad range of housing options to meet the needs of various ages, family types and incomes.

Community Engagement and Good Governance

• Goal 1: Strong and active citizen participation in community engagement in Town of View Royal meetings, open houses, surveys, budget development.

Official Community Plan:

2011 Official Community Plan: Community Vision

• Goal 2: Create an inclusive community that provides housing, transportation and healthy living options, and services and facilities for families and individuals of diverse backgrounds, culture, ages and economic means.

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 first draft OCP represents months of work and contributions from Council, the committees, the public, and project team. Review of the first draft of the Plan will ensure we ‘got it right’ and refine and enhance those areas of the document that still need some adjustment.

The project team encourages Council to share the survey and spread the word about this engagement opportunity.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Official Community Plan Summary Report
2. First Draft Official Community Plan (March 2026)
3. Western Gateway Special Council Meeting Facilitator Summary