The Town of Oliver kicked off its Official Community Plan (OCP) review last week by inviting the public to council chambers to discuss numerous ideas and suggestions.
Photo by Lyonel Doherty
Want to help shape land use planning and development in Oliver? Now’s your chance.
The review of the Official Community Plan (OCP) has begun, starting with a kick-off in Town council chambers on April 4.
The Town has hired a consultant team consisting of EcoPlan International, Inc. and Arlington Group.
The objective is to gather public input in order to update the OCP by providing policies on a broad range of topics such as land use, transportation, housing, parks and infrastructure.
The last time Oliver updated its OCP was in 2004, so much has changed since then.
About a dozen people attended the kick-off event on April 4.
EcoPlan Principal John Ingram said the review will address development permit areas, zoning bylaws, urban growth boundary, and the potential boundary expansion (south of town).
Ingram touched on Oliver’s population, noting it appears to be declining slightly.
In a report on the town’s community profile, the population was 4,824 in 2011. The most recent estimate (in 2015) indicates a population of 4,597.
BC statistics project a low growth rate of 0.25 per cent for the area between 2015 and 2030, which would translate to a population in Oliver of 4,831 by 2030. (These projections do not include the possibility of boundary expansion.)
Ingram and Graham Farstad from Arlington Group spoke to people during the kick-off and took a walk to discuss the OCP with business owners.
“I think one of the issues that’s likely going to be at the forefront of the project is downtown revitalization and (small) business retention,” Ingram said.
Questionnaires were handed out in council chambers, and one resident said she would like to see more public access to Tucelnuit Lake, while another said she would like to see incentives to attract more businesses to the downtown core.
Another resident expressed her desire to see more small businesses selling unique items, such as fancy food and deli products.
Resident Cathy Gushulak said she wants to see more development downtown . . . “make it a place where people want to go.”
Janet Montgomery said she likes Oliver as a “friendly little town” and wants to keep it that way.
However, she noted that School Avenue should be closed to left hand turns from Main Street heading north.
“I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents (here),” she said, adding that traffic is often backed up at this location.
Ingram said the OCP update will solicit public input via focus groups, open houses and surveys. They even plan to involve local students in the engagement process.
Town council is expected to adopt the final OCP early next year.
By Lyonel Doherty
