For all but the most hardcore policy wonks, municipal policy documents are about as dry as toast, but Squamish’s Official Community Plan review is exciting and residents should care about it, according to the mayor.
“I think what people don’t understand is that the OCP is the underlying document for everything else we do and it guides every other policy document we write or want to get done; it guides how our zoning bylaw is written, when a developer comes in to town that is what they look at – and not just a developer, but if someone wants to start their business – they read the OCP to see if their goals align with the goals of the community,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “It is probably the most important document a council ever does.”
The OCP is the umbrella vision document required by the provincial Local Government Act that impacts decisions that will be made at city hall for the next 20 years, at least, said Heintzman.
Over the years, the scope of the OCP has evolved from simple maps of land use to a massive policy book that encompasses community values, Heintzman said.
“What do we see our goals as in terms of being an energy efficient community, what we see our goals as in terms of how do we encourage economic development and what kind of economic development, what diversity do we want?” she asked.
Heintzman said the OCP needs to be reviewed over time because its policies become stale as a society evolves.
“We also need to make sure we have our policy documents keeping pace with development, so you’re not having developments come in not aligning with what your future goals are,” she said.
This is particularly important for Squamish, she said, which is going through a boom with many developments in the district hopper.
“Going into an OCP process as you are ramping up in your boom cycle… poses some capacity challenges at the district but also poses some huge opportunities for the community to really get engaged and say: This is how we envision our community and this is what we want to see,” she said.
District staff has already been at work on several of the pieces of the OCP including the Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Mapping, which started last year.
These documents are data sources that policy and drafting of other documents will depend on, according to the district.
A steering committee will soon be struck to advise council and district staff on the OCP process, Heintzman said, and stakeholder engagement will be ongoing throughout the process.
The district estimates the OCP will be complete with formal council adoption of the OCP bylaw by November 2016.
The actual document should be accessible, according to the district’s Gary Buxton, general manager of development services.
“That is one of my goals anyway, is a shorter, more concise document,” he said when he presented to the community development standing committee April 7.
Councillor Karen Elliott said she hopes district staff push council to stay on task with the OCP.
“I hope you will hold our feet to the fire because if we can get the OCP done by the end of 2016, that will give us time to actually start implementing what is in there within this term, and to me, that is exciting,” she said to Buxton when he presented to the committee.
The entire OCP process and enactment from 2015 to the end of 2017, including staffing and pieces such as the Wildlife Management Area review, are estimated to cost the district $580,000, according to the district.
For updates on public engagement check the district’s website, squamish.ca.
