WHAT IS A LOCAL AREA PLAN?
Local Area Plans are planning documents that provide greater detail on growth management for communities that are expected to experience change. These plans help shape growth in a way that contributes to more place-specific, well-designed, and livable complete communities.
Local Area Plans build upon the vision, objectives, and policy included with Draft Schedule A of the Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas (Bylaw 4373) and guide growth in village and community hearts so that the qualities of these areas that people love and cherish are preserved and enhanced into the future.
WHAT AREContinue reading
WHAT IS A LOCAL AREA PLAN?
Local Area Plans are planning documents that provide greater detail on growth management for communities that are expected to experience change. These plans help shape growth in a way that contributes to more place-specific, well-designed, and livable complete communities.
Local Area Plans build upon the vision, objectives, and policy included with Draft Schedule A of the Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas (Bylaw 4373) and guide growth in village and community hearts so that the qualities of these areas that people love and cherish are preserved and enhanced into the future.
WHAT ARE THE PLANNING AREAS?
Local Area Plans are proposed for the following areas:
A - Mill Bay (Click for map)
B - Shawnigan Lake (Click for map)
C - Cobble Hill (Click for map)
D - Cowichan Bay (Click for map)
D/E - Eagle Heights/ Koksilah Village (Click for map)
F - Honeymoon Bay/ Mesachie Lake/ Paldi (Click for maps)
G - Saltair (Click for map)
H - Diamond (Click for map)
I - Youbou/ Meade Creek (Click for maps)
DRAFT LOCAL AREA PLANS
SETTING THE STAGE
The Local Area Plan development process began as part of the development of the Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas (Bylaw 4373) in 2022, involving a background review, community consultation, and the initiation of the Complete Communities Assessment.
Step 1: FUTURE VISIONING
Step 1 Future Visioning in 2023 involved further community engagement, the preparation of vision statements and descriptions, and next steps in the Complete Communities Assessment process.
Step 2: PLANNING
Step 2 Planning in 2024 included consultation with APCs, First Nations, and the community, culminating in the first draft LAPs.
The following reports were completed and included APC referral comments:
Local Plan Area Profiles Report - this report details the current performance of each Local Area Plan by Complete Community lens with discussion on potential opportunities and constraints, and a refined list of indicators to be used for evaluation.
Alternate Futures Report (Brief version) - this report details the effectiveness of scenarios to close the gap towards reaching community "completeness" in each of the LAP areas, which aligns with overarching Official Community Plan goals
Alternate Futures Report (Comprehensive version)
Step 3: IMPLEMENTATION
Step 3 Implementation Actions and Priority Development is currently underway. Meetings with the Advisory Planning Commissions are planned for Spring 2025.
LAP DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
COMPLETE COMMUNITIES
The CVRD has been successful in receiving two grants from the Union of BC Municipalities to prepare complete community assessments for all CVRD Local Area Plans.
Most complete communities have several key elements:
- Diversity of housing options
- Proximity of housing and employment to daily needs
- Transportation options
- Efficient use of infrastructure
In a regional district, complete communities could be seen as the hubs that are part of a connected network. The creation of more complete communities may enhance “hub areas” with a range of needed services and amenities.
Creating more complete communities works best when these elements are considered together. Assessing a community’s completeness through mapping and analyzing these key elements, and their relationship to each other can support advancing a community’s identified goals.
