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WCEL
> Issues > Urban Growth and
Development > Smart Bylaws Guide > Part
1 > Urban Containment Boundaries >
Nanaimo Regional
District & Member Municipalities
Smart Bylaws Guide – Urban Containment Boundaries – Nanaimo Regional
District and Member Municipalities
Since 1981, the Regional District of Nanaimo has experienced a
population increase of 64 percent (3 percent per year). In 1994, the
Regional District and member municipalities (City of Nanaimo, City
of Parksville, and Town of Qualicum Beach - the Town of Lantzeville,
as a new municipality incorporated in 2003, is not yet party to this
agreement), agreed to develop a regional growth strategy. The
primary concern of residents was urban sprawl.
During the development of the RGS the Regional District conducted
a Land Use and Population study that determined that there was more
than sufficient land to accommodate growth for 25 years within an
UCB.
The resulting RGS
designated UCBs around the urban parts of the region, with all of
the RGS goals strongly supporting these UCBs.
Goal 1 : Strong Urban Containment: To limit sprawl and focus
development within well defined urban containment boundaries.
Goal
2: Nodal Structure : To encourage mixed-use communities that
includes places to live, work, learn, play, shop and access
services.
Goal 3: Rural Integrity: To protect and strengthen the
region's rural economy and lifestyle.
Goal 4: Environmental
Protection : To protect the environment and minimize ecological
damage related to growth and development.
Goal 5: Improved Mobility:
To improve and diversify mobility options within the region -
increasing transportation efficiency and reducing dependency on the
automobile.
Goal 6: Vibrant and Sustainable Economy: To support
strategic economic development and to link commercial and industrial
strategies to the land use and rural and environmental protection
priorities of the region.
Goal 7: Efficient Services : To provide
cost efficient services and infrastructure where urban development
is intended, and to provide services in other areas where the
service is needed to address environmental or public health issues
and the provision of the service will not result in additional
development.
Goal 8: Cooperation Among Jurisdictions : To
facilitate an understanding of and commitment to the goals of growth
management among all levels of government, the public, and key
private and voluntary sector partners.
Regional Growth Strategy, p. 6
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The UCBs are drawn around urban growth centres such as in City of
Nanaimo and village centres or hamlets. Development is limited
outside the UCB through a number of policies that include servicing
limits, rural land designations, the Agricultural Land Reserve, and
a focus on nodal development (see Nanaimo's policies below). The
comprehensive nature of UCB designation (encouraging development in
existing centres while maintaining a firm UCB) provides reassurance
to developers that investment in already-serviced areas will not be
compromised by edge development
The RGS is governed by several implementation agreements that set
out how changes to the UCB will occur and what criteria will guide
them. For example, land within the Agricultural Land Reserve is not
available for urban uses and land that is designated as urban must
be easily serviced. The Urban
Containment and Fringe Area Management Implementation Agreement
between the Regional District and member municipalities establishes
procedures for reviewing and changing the UCB. The purpose of the
Agreement is to contain and support growth within Urban Containment
Boundaries and to protect rural values by:
- acknowledging and recognizing the general processes under
which a municipality may apply to the Province to extend a
municipal boundary and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs' review
and decision steps, and
- providing a joint understanding regarding the review and
revision of Urban Containment Boundaries, the coordination of
land use and service planning within urban containment areas,
and the management of land use, development, servicing and cost
recovery standards in areas adjacent to municipalities which are
candidate areas for municipal boundary extensions with reference
to municipal standards.
City of Nanaimo
To support the UCB, the City of Nanaimo adopted a range of
policies, including: · designating most land outside of the UCB as
"rural resource lands" and "industrial enterprise
lands;"
- retaining rural land uses, especially agriculture and
forestry;
- prohibiting the expenditure of public funds to service lands
with roads, water, sewer and stormwater systems outside the UCB;
- prohibiting the rezoning of rural resource lands for higher
density residential development than that permitted by zoning
existing at the time of the OCP's adoption;
- allowing a clustered housing form of subdivision on rural
resource lands if it does not increase density, protects
environmentally significant features, protects agricultural and
forestry activities and preserves open space and rural
character;
- Inside the UCB, direct and focus future urban development
approvals primarily to Town Centres and Neighbourhood Villages
(see Goal One: Complete, Viable Communities);
- Limiting consideration of UCB amendments to once every three
years; and
- Requiring notification to adjacent neighbourhood associations
when an application to amend the UCB is received.
See Nanaimo
Official
Community Plan Goal 3: Manage Urban Growth
A five year review of the UCB was completed in 2003. Nanaimo
decided, in consultation with the Regional District, not to expand
its UGB even though it is experiencing development pressures in the
north part of the municipality. If allowable densities are adhered
to, Nanaimo still has adequate development potential.
For More Information:
Neil Connelly, Regional District of Nanaimo
(250) 390-6510
growthmanagement@rdn.bc.ca
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