What is an Official Community Plan (OCP)?

An OCP provides the overall vision and direction for the future of the community – how the community sees itself growing and developing over time, and ultimately what kind of place the community will be. This community driven vision is balanced with expected population growth, opportunities for development and the availability of resources for infrastructure projects.

What is the difference between a Zoning Bylaw and the Official Community Plan (OCP)?

The Zoning Bylaw contains a detailed set of rules that are very specific about land use, density, building heights, setbacks and other issues such as landscaping and site coverage requirements as they relates to a property. The OCP is more strategic and often less detailed about specific sites. For instance, the OCP may say "this property will be a future growth area for high density housing" where the Zoning Bylaw will say that a building on that specific property can be an apartment, may not be more than 10 m tall, cover more than 45% of the property, and must be 5 metres back from the street.

What is the impact of the recent planning laws passed by the Province on the OCP?

City staff and Council are still in the process of evaluating what the impact will be of the recent changes made by the Province, and the impact that this will have on the OCP and the City’s Zoning Bylaw. It does mean that the review of the OCP will be more significant in deciding where new residential growth will occur in the City, and less so at the rezoning stage. Please review the attached Frequently Asked Questions document for more information.

How is an OCP used? Who does it affect?

All City policies, plans and regulations must be in alignment with the OCP Bylaw, so it is a powerful guide for Town decision-making. An effective OCP provides clear direction but does not preclude change to the plan based on evolving circumstances or interpretation of policies by Council and staff. In this way, an OCP is often considered a "living document".

Council, staff, developers and professionals (architects, engineers, planners, landscape architects, etc.) use the OCP to understand what the community wants as it relates to the delivery of housing and other land uses (types, character), transportation services, infrastructure and amenities. They also use the OCP to understand which areas are suitable for development and which are not (environmentally sensitive areas, steep slopes, hazardous areas, etc.).

The public can use the OCP to gain a better understanding of local issues and how they are planned to be addressed or what changes may happen in their neighbourhood. The OCP will also provide direct guidance to how land is zoned and developed in the community, and will inform the review of the City’s Zoning Bylaw that is scheduled to start once the new OCP is in place.

Why is there such a focus on land use and development policy? 

Provincial legislation (the Local Government Act) outlines the purpose, required content and discretionary content of an Official Community Plan (OCP). The purpose of an OCP, under this legislation, is a "statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use management," but can also extend into other areas and issues including environmental protection of sensitive areas, economic development, energy conservation and efficiency and culture and heritage. Council and the community can decide what issues that they would like their OCP to address. The current OCP has sections dedicated to the following issues: