Council Report: Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019 – Regional Context Statement Update
A staff report from the Senior Planner providing background on the required update to the OCP's Regional Context Statement to align with the 2018 Capital Regional District Regional Growth Strategy.
Council Report
TO: Mayor and Council DATE: January 28, 2020 FROM: J. Chow, Senior Planner MEETING: February 4, 2020 FILE NO.: 3900-02 OCP Bylaw
Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019 – Regional Context Statement Update
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the January 28, 2020 report from the Senior Planner titled “Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019 – Regional Context Statement Update” be received.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’ COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
PURPOSE:
To provide background information for February 4, 2020 public hearing regarding Official Community Plan No. 811, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019, a bylaw to update the Regional Context Statement section of the Official Community Plan.
BACKGROUND:
The Regional Context Statement in the “Introduction” section of the Official Community Plan outlines how the OCP relates to the goals, objectives, and policies of the Regional Growth Strategy for long-term regional growth and change in a healthy and sustainable manner. The current Capital Regional District Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw No. 1, 2016 (the RGS) was adopted by the Capital Regional District Board on March 14, 2018. The Local Government Act requires that the Town’s Official Community Plan must be updated to reference the current RGS by March 2020.
The revised Regional Context Statement in Official Community Plan No. 811, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019 summarizes how current OCP policies relate to targets specified in the RGS; and identifies regional considerations in future OCP updates including the following:
- The number of people living in complete communities (in View Royal)
- Reducing homelessness
- A jobs/population ratio of 0.60:1 in the Core Area
- Increasing crop producing land
- Community greenhouse gas emissions
DISCUSSION:
Procedure for further amendments to the Official Community Plan No. 811, 2011, Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019
If there are any proposed changes to the OCP bylaw arising from the public hearing, the OCP bylaw must be amended, referred to the CRD Board for acceptance again and another public hearing must be held. Otherwise, the standard process to consider third and fourth readings can continue.
Five Year Review
s.448 of the Local Government Act requires municipalities to review their Regional Context Statements at least once every five years after its latest acceptance by the regional district board. Even if no changes are proposed, the statement must be referred to the board for its continued acceptance.
Anticipated amendments to the Regional Context Statement
Any change to the Regional Context Statement requires acceptance from the regional district board. With the upcoming Official Community Plan review, it is anticipated that the Regional Context Statement section will be revised to reflect any updated OCP policies. If the timing is right, it could also address the CRD’s proposed amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy’s sub-regional population projections.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the January 28, 2020 report from the Senior Planner titled “Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 1024, 2019 – Regional Context Statement Update” be received.
SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Chow, MCIP, RPP Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Lindsay Chase, MCIP, RPP Director of Development Services
Links
OCP: https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/811%20Offfical%20Community%20Plan.pdf RGS: https://www.crd.bc.ca/project/regional-growth-strategy
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