The proposed Official Community Plan appears to incorporate good and responsible planning for future development and management of what makes the municipality a great place to live.
Chapter 3: Thoughtful growth management that designates areas for development and higher density, and no-growth areas to preserve rural areas.
Chapter 5: Attainable housing developments close to village centres will ensure access to services and amenities. Walkability will reduce the need for vehicles and promote social and physical well-being.
Chapter 6: Regeneration and protection of the natural environment. There is a lot of natural environment in the municipality and it needs protection from poorly planned development, and legacies exist that should be remedied where possible.
It gives me hope that these are in the proposed OCP, however, a recent experience with one of North Cowichan’s ‘legacies’ made me a little cynical, as there remains the very real possibility that a developer will propose an OCP amendment and/or zoning variances that, if approved by council, takes the plan out of the OCP and dismisses the very idea of having one.
The Morgan Maples development permit application for a 108-unit mobile home park comes to mind – a high density development amid rural properties, outside the current OCP and certainly outside the proposed OCP. The housing is considered attainable, however this housing is kilometres away from any village centre and amenities.
I recognize the zoning was changed years ago and is a North Cowichan legacy – which makes the property a prime opportunity for council to demonstrate its OCP commitment to regeneration and protection of the natural environment and preservation of rural areas in the no-growth areas – rather than allow the developers to destroy habitat, introduce waste to the Chemainus River and compromise the rural atmosphere of the area.
Cathy Nugent,
Chemainus