The provincially mandated review of Chilliwack's official community plan (OCP) is now underway after city council received the details in a staff presentation at city hall on Tuesday (Sept. 3).
The OCP review and update is part of the changes required of all B.C. municipalities in the wake of sweeping housing legislation, aimed at building more middle-income housing faster under the Homes for People action plan.
Council received the presentation on Sept. 3 from planning department staffer Reuben Koole who laid out the phases of the OCP review work plan that will be underway from now until 2025, with pop-up community events coming in October and November.
Coun. Chris Kloot wanted to know, since the province is "heading into an election," and if there were to be a change of government that re-instated public hearings, would Chilliwack still go through with the OCP review?
"Where will we go with this?" Kloot asked.
"We're going into this project fully intending to have complete comprehensive OCP review," the staffer replied. "There may be shifts in public hearing sphere potentially but it won't alter the review."
Chilliwack received more than half a million in provincial funding last year to complete a OCP review/update, along with a housing needs plan, and it hired Modus Planning and Design and Engagement Consultants in an RFP to complete the deliverables with a project team.
Coun. Harv Westeringh asked if the review would be focused on the hillsides and rural areas or just the valley floor.
The answer was that most of the changes would impact the valley floor but communities with neighbourhood plans would be linked to the OCP.
Coun. Bud Mercer asked about public perceptions around the provincial housing legislation, and the role of the city in the OCP review process in relation to the provincial directives that are being touted as ways to make housing more affordable.
"We have people in the business saying this is not going to make things more affordable, and in fact sometimes to the contrary, so what is our role?" Mercer asked vis-a-vis public perceptions.
He was told they would be able to "contextualize" the role of the OCP, and what it is able to do or not able to do, but it won't be able to "alleviate misinformation" for example.
"It's a complex process but we'll do our best to untangle the affordable housing," the staffer said. They will consider a FAQ document to look at the factors the determine affordability with the city's role, the province's role, and industry's role defined.
Westering said it was going to be important in the messaging to citizens around the pop-up events that "this is time to have your voice heard" and that
"this basically your last chance to speak" on the issue, given that public hearings are no longer held for changes that align with the OCP.
Stage 1 will focus on gathering baseline information for Chilliwack, including demographics, population data, commercial and industrial inventory, and broad community input.
The work plan includes "a variety of engagement methods" to get public input "from interest groups, residents, agencies and stakeholders," and Modus uses an "engagement weave" diagram to illustrate how engagement/input is represented as one "stream of information," as a key part in creating the final plan, along with technical planning work.
"These streams interact during the process, leading to insights and new ideas, without one single input or activity determining the outcome. At the end of the process, Council has the authority as elected decision makers to approve the final plan based on these streams and processes."
Modus officials in a report to council explained what the OCP 2050 update will achieve:
"It aims to help address ongoing pressures, like housing demand and climate impacts, and to align the City’s policies with new provincial housing legislation. Chilliwack 2050 is anticipated to be complete in Fall 2025.
"Over the next year or so, residents, business owners, community organizations, government agencies, and other levels of government will be invited to help shape the new OCP."
