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WCEL
> Issues > Urban Growth and
Development > Smart Bylaws Guide > Part
1 > Stick to Municipal Plans
Smart Bylaws Guide – Part 1 – Stick to Municipal Plans
Official community plans and neighbourhood plans set the
long-term vision for how a community will evolve. It is difficult to
evaluate what effect piecemeal changes, such as rezonings, have on
that vision. Several municipalities in BC entertain OCP amendments
and rezonings only once or twice per year to ensure that new
development is in keeping with the long-term plan for the community.
Regional District of Comox-Strathcona
The Regional District of
Comox-Strathcona hears applications for amendments to its rural
Official Community Plans only once per year.
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Cortes
Official Community Plan Bylaw 1995
Bylaw No. 1740 Schedule "A" to Page
6-1
VI. Plan Amendment
From time to time amendments to the Official Community Plan
may be required as a result of changing circumstances. The plan
amendment process will therefore serve to maintain the Plan as
an up-to-date document pertaining to land uses and general
settlement development within the planning area.
Amendment Procedures:
The procedure to amend the Plan shall comply with the
requirements of the Municipal Act and the following:
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An application for plan amendment may be submitted to the
Planning Department of the Regional District by the Regional
Board, a community group on Cortes Island, a property owner,
or an individual citizen. Applications for plan amendments
will be reviewed on an annual basis. This annual review
timeline shall not apply where a zoning bylaw review process
undertaken by the Regional District results in plan
amendment considerations, in which case the Regional Board
may, by resolution, identify an additional timeframe for
consideration of amendments arising from the zoning bylaw
review.
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All Island residents shall be notified in the event of
any proposed plan amendment or rezoning, and affected land
owners shall be notified as per the provisions of the
Municipal Act.
Quadra
Island Official Community Plan 1996 #1840 Part 5, Section 4
Rural
Comox Valley Official Community Plan 1998 #2042 Part 5, Section
A.9
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City of Nanaimo
Nanaimo hears all Official Community
Plan amendments twice per year in May and November.
Whistler
Resort Municipality of Whistler will only consider the
types and amount of additional development, if necessary, once per
year as part of the annual review of its growth management policies.
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Whistler
Official Community Plan 1993 p.30
4.13.2
Proposed OCP amendments or rezonings that increase the bed-unit
capacity of the Municipality will only be considered if the
development:
- provides
clear and substantial benefits to the community and the
resort;
- is
supported by the community, in the opinion of Council;
- will
not cause unacceptable impacts on the community, resort, or
environment; and
- meets
all applicable criteria set out in the Official Community
Plan.
The
Municipality will annually review its growth management policies
and determine what kinds and amounts of additional development,
if any, are appropriate, necessary, or regarded as likely to
yield benefits to the community and the resort. If this annual
review identifies kinds of development that should be
considered, the Municipality will consider amending the Official
Community Plan.
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For More Information
Deborah Sargent, Manager of Planning, Regional
District of Comox-Strathcona (250) 334-6051, dsargent@rdcs.bc.ca
Rob Lawrance, Environmental Planner, City of
Nanaimo (250) 755-4483, Local 286, rob.lawrance@city.nanaimo.bc.ca
Kim Needham, Planner, Resort Municipality of Whistler (604) 935-8170,
kneedham@whistler.ca
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