News Release - November 1, 2017

Updated Electoral Area H Official Community Plan

At their Board meeting on Tuesday, October 24, the Regional District of Nanaimo gave first and second readings to a bylaw that updates the Electoral Area H Official Community Plan (OCP). The proposed changes to the OCP span numerous topics, including improvements to protection of sensitive shorelines, support for more environmentally and financially sustainable rural subdivision, and implementation of the Active Transportation Plan to improve safety and accessibility of walking and cycling.

As a next step, a public information meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Lighthouse Community Hall, 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. Doors open at 6:00 pm to view information and speak with RDN staff. There will be a public hearing at a future date as the final opportunity for input.

"I am pleased with the proposed Official Community Plan updates and process to date for this Community as it brings the area more in line with many of our current strategic priorities related to the economic health, service and organizational health and relationships within the area," said RDN Chairperson Bill Veenhof. "The efforts of our staff and the local community to listen to each other and work together are appreciated."

The Electoral Area H OCP Review began in December 2015. The project was intended to target updates of sections of the OCP that were known to be outdated or needed improvement based on community and internal input. The project also considered requests from property owners to change the designation for their property to allow different and expanded uses, and incorporated recommendations and information from three recent reports for Electoral Area H, which are the Active Transportation Plan, Agricultural Land Reserve Preliminary Boundary Review, and Archaeology Overview Assessment.

The proposed bylaw is available on our website at www.rdn.bc.ca/areahocp with background reports, consultation summaries, earlier drafts, and other supporting information. Bowser Office Hours for the project continue on Tuesdays from 9:15 am - 12:00 pm upstairs at Magnolia Court until November 28, 2017. Sign up for email alerts about the project from the project website.

 

Contact:

Courtney Simpson
Senior Planner
Regional District of Nanaimo
250-390-6510
csimpson [at] rdn.bc.ca (csimpson[at]rdn[dot]bc[dot]ca)