Official Community Plan Review
OCP Review Ideas Workbook – Deadline Extension
It has come to our attention that some completed Ideas Workbooks submitted by email may not have been received by District staff due to technical reasons.
We would like to apologize to any residents who submitted an Ideas Workbook by email and who may have been impacted by this.
If you submitted a hand-written Ideas Workbook, thank you – it has been received.
If you submitted your Ideas Workbook by email and received an email acknowledgment from staff, thank you – it has been received.
However, if you submitted your Ideas Workbook by email and did not receive an email acknowledgment from staff, we may not have received it. Please contact us at 604-921-3459 or 604-921-2173. Staff will be able to determine with you whether your submission has been received and assist you to resubmit if required.
We would like to thank the hundreds of residents who have participated in the OCP review through various public events, conversations, and Ideas Workbooks we have already received.
The deadline to submit your Ideas Workbook has been extended to Friday, September 22, 4.30 p.m. as your ideas for the District’s Official Community Plan are important to us. Again, we apologize to anyone impacted by this technical issue.
If you are yet to submit an Ideas Workbook or are concerned your workbook has not been received, we want to hear from you: your input matters.
Jim Bailey, Director of Planning and Development Services
West Vancouver has a tremendous opportunity to plan for its future through a review of its Official Community Plan (OCP) and the development of a robust policy framework to guide planning decisions.
The review process will build upon the key principles and values of the existing 2004 plan, capture a decade of citizen working group input, and engage the community and stakeholders on emerging issues like housing, local area plans and climate change.
The OCP review will provide a number of opportunities for citizen engagement throughout the coming year as various policies are reviewed and local area plans are developed.
The OCP Review is made up of a number of components parts including a review of policy chapters and the development of local area plans for centres and corridors.
Pop-Up Planning Office
Planning staff held Pop-Up Planning Offices throughout August at the West Vancouver Memorial Library, Gleneagles and West Vancouver Community Centres.
Thank you to everyone who came by and visited a Pop-Up Planning Office.
About Phase 2
Phase 2 will focus on developing Ideas for how the District could advance or meet the Objectives that emerged from Phase 1. The community will then be engaged in turning these “Ideas” into topic-specific “Directions” that will then form the basis for policies of the Draft Plan.
Public engagement for Phase 1: Objectives of the Policy Chapter Review component of the Official Community Plan review has been completed.
We thank everyone who participated in one of the various public engagement events for contributing their ideas and energy to the future of West Vancouver.
Summary Report
Phase 1–Public Engagement Summary Report
This report provides an overview of the engagement events and public feedback received during Phase 1. Some highlights of the process so far:
- over 1,200 web page views
- 12 stakeholder meetings
- Youth Brainstorm
- two World Cafés
Having completed Phase 1, staff presented a Progress Report to Council at their regular meeting on Monday, June 19 and we have now moved into Phase 2: Ideas.
Another component of the OCP Review is the preparation of Local Area Plans for centres and corridors.
These are locations where growth and change can be anticipated and the process for each of these plans will vary based on the scope and unique conditions of each area.
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Marine Drive Local Area Plan and Design Guidelines: A Public Hearing for the Marine Drive Local Area Plan and Design Guidelines was held on June 5, 2017. The amending bylaw to adopt the Plan was adopted at a Regular Council Meeting on June 19, 2017. Please see the project webpage for details on the plan.
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Ambleside Town Centre: Pending conclusion on the Marine Drive Local Area Plan, work will begin on the Ambleside Town Centre Plan. The District has tremendous opportunity and need to plan to ensure that development in the decades to come supports the needs of current and future residents and businesses. Anticipated: 2016–18. Stay tuned for information about the launch of the Ambleside Town Centre Planning Process.
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Cypress Village: The recommendations of the Upper Lands Working Group will be used as a “framework” in preparing the Cypress Village Area Development Plan. The main private landowner in the Upper Lands, British Pacific Properties (BPP), has begun the “pre-application” phase for this project, which will be followed by a municipally-led planning process including a citizen Working Group.
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Upper Taylor Way Corridor: The Taylor Way corridor (from Keith Road to Highway 1) is a prominent gateway into West Vancouver, close to frequent transit and commercial services. Recent land use changes along the corridor have seen new multi-family development and institutional uses (including a memory care centre) and this plan will look at the suitability of other land use changes to guide the future of this corridor. Anticipated: 2018.
- Horseshoe Bay: An updated plan for Horseshoe Bay Village is not anticipated to be prepared during the OCP review timeframe (2015-18); however a revised OCP is expected to provide a basis or framework for preparing a plan post- 2018.
Following adoption of the 2004 Official Community Plan (OCP), a number of citizen-led Working Groups were formed to respond to emerging issues and develop new plans and strategies.
Significant community engagement occurred as part of these working group projects, which represent our community’s own ideas and objectives for the District. A key part of the OCP review will be to reflect as appropriate these various plans and strategies in a revised OCP to ensure this valuable citizen input is captured.
Consistent with its purpose as a land use document, the OCP review will consider Working Group reports that address land use issues:
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Housing Diversity and Affordability: Presented to Council on July 4, 2016 and will be used to inform Local Area Planning Processes and refreshed housing policies.
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Neighbourhood Character and Building Bulk: Zoning bylaw amendments for fence heights, on-site landscaping standards and lot consolidation regulations were adopted by Council June 6, 2016 and work will continue on additional regulatory changes through the fall/winter of 2016. Formation of a Tree Bylaw Working Group is currently underway.
- Ambleside Waterfront Concept Plan: Endorsed by Council for implementation and consultation June 13, 2016.
Stay updated
A significant part of the OCP review will be to capture ten years of public consultation guided by citizen-led working groups. As individual components of the OCP review move forward there will be further opportunities for citizens and stakeholders to get involved with these various projects. This will include the participation in local area plans, the formation of a Cypress Village Working Group, and engagement streams such as workshops, stakeholder meetings, community surveys, open houses and other events to review and discuss updated OCP chapters and policies. In order to stay up to date on the various projects you can:
- Sign up for project updates
- Follow the District on social media for announcements of events
- Review background materials to learn about the work that has already been done
Keep checking this page for more information and updates on the various components of the OCP review project.
What’s an Official Community Plan (OCP)?
It’s a document for managing land use.
Why is the District reviewing it now?
The current OCP was adopted in 2004 and the time is right to review it to ensure the community has a planning tool to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Why does it matter?
Because the OCP is the District’s number one planning tool for the next five to ten years, and because it touches citizens’ lives in some way every day: how housing needs can be met, where shops, services and community facilities are located, how we move around, how we can protect the environment and how we respond to climate change.
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