Electoral Area A Official Community Plan

Metro Vancouver acts as the local government for Electoral Area A, providing certain key services. For communities on the Howe Sound mainland, Barnston Island, northern Indian Arm and west side of Pitt Lake, Metro Vancouver is responsible for local land use planning (e.g. zoning, land use plans) and permitting (e.g. building permits).

Metro Vancouver has recently begun work on the development of an Official Community Plan (OCP). An OCP contains land use map designations and policies that together set out the long term vision for communities. Once the OCP is adopted by the Metro Vancouver Board, it will provide guidance to the public, developers, Metro Vancouver staff, other orders of government, and elected representatives when considering land use changes, such as proposals for new development. A key part of the development of an OCP is meeting with residents to understand issues that are important to them and their communities.

The Electoral Area OCP will apply to all areas other than UBC (the UBC Board of Governors is responsible for planning), the University Endowment Lands (the provincial government is responsible for planning), and Bowyer and Passage Islands (the Islands Trust is responsible for the planning). The OCP will not apply to First Nations Reserves.

Because Electoral Area A is comprised of diverse communities, the policies will be tailored to ensure that the OCP addresses issues that are important to each local community. Metro Vancouver is hosting three public meetings in June 2016, each focused on different areas. After the June meetings, there will be two additional rounds of public consultation in summer and fall 2016, as well as a public hearing once the OCP bylaw has been given readings by the Metro Vancouver Board. Residents are encouraged to participate in the process. For more information, click here or visit www.metrovancouver.org and search “Official Community Plan”.