FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prince George B.C - The City of Prince George has kicked-off the Official Community Plan (OCP) review with a community survey and a scheduled open house.
An OCP communicates a community’s vision, goals and objectives and outlines long-term development plans. It also guides planning and land use management. The City’s existing OCP was adopted in 2011.
After the adoption of the OCP, bylaws enacted or works undertaken by Council must be consistent with the Plan. Council, staff, and citizens use the OCP as a critical planning tool to help make decisions related to:
- Housing locations
- Transportation priorities
- Lands protected from development
- Protecting development from hazards
- Providing services for more sustainable development in the next 15 years
The goals, objectives, and policies of an OCP are much broader than those found in area plans, like the Civic Core District Plan, because they apply to the whole city and not one area.
OCPs also acknowledge the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples. The OCP Review will be an opportunity to advance truth and reconciliation with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and Urban Indigenous members of the community.
Mayor Simon Yu said a lot has changed since 2011, and it is important the new OCP reflects where the City is now, and where we hope to be in the coming years and decades.
“I know this has been something a lot of people have been waiting for in regard to having their say and that is a great thing,” he said.
“Engagement is always important, but for this plan, and the importance it plays in the growth and development of our City, it has never been more important.
“I encourage people to get involved and to share their input in the coming weeks,” he said.
The new OCP will guide growth and development through to 2050. There’s an online survey that’s open until October 20 for residents to provide input, and there will be a Community Open House for in-person engagement on Tuesday, October 17 at Two Rivers Gallery from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
Following the months of visioning and engagement, drafting of the OCP will begin in December and continue through until August 2024. Final OCP review and approval is expected by the end of next year.
All the information around the OCP and upcoming community consultation can be found here.
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Media contact:
Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor
Mobile: 778-349-1386
Email: media@princegeorge.ca