91原创 Township took its planned updates to the Official Community Plan on the road this month, gathering public feedback and explaining how provincial housing rules will impact local neighbourhoods.
Between May 6 and May 14, the Township hosted four meetings in different neighbourhoods, starting with Aldergrove.
Attendance varied depending on the location. While the Aldergrove meeting saw a healthy attendance, the Walnut Grove-Fort 91原创 meeting saw relatively few people. Shortly after 5 p.m., the number of community members were outnumbered by Township staff by about three to one.
One Walnut Grove resident who did attend said he wanted to be informed about the Township's plans for his neighbourhood.
"Are they going to make wholesale changes?" said Mike, who asked that his last name not be used.
He was hoping that he could find out what's planned, and to be informed so he can speak up if there are changes he doesn't agree with.
This round of OCP updates is being driven by provincial legislation, as all B.C. municipalities must update their OCPs to conform with the extensive housing reforms put into practice by Victoria last year.
Those include higher-density development being allowed around major transit hubs 鈥� which will affect the future SkyTrain station locations in 91原创, as well as land around the Carvolth Exchange park and ride 鈥� and the rule changes that allows higher density in the form of four-plex housing on many single-family lots.
In addition to the new housing options that will be available, this OCP update will look at transit-oriented development and connecting new routes with walkable communities, especially in fast-growing Willoughby.
Another major component of this OCP is thinking about planning based on climate change and weather disasters, in the wake of a series of heat waves, cold snaps, and atmospheric rivers. The atmospheric rivers in particular have caused damage in the Township, including to roads, bridges, and culverts, such as the one in the 21400-block of 40 Avenue, which is being repaired after heavy rains last fall.
The process will be guided by research and expert data, but also by feedback from locals. There were several display boards at the open houses that allowed people to write comments on Post-It notes and stick them on various maps or to answer questions posed to them.
In addition to recent rapid population growth, the Township is working on new plans for developing the 200-Street corridor in Willoughby as a transit-friendly neighbourhood, and is hoping to see TransLink's plans for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line up and down that road come to fruition in the near future.
