The Town of Oliver is requesting submission of Proposals from contractors or consultants for the update to the Official Community Plan for the Town of Oliver.
Official Community Plans describe the long-term vision for communities and set objectives and policies that guide land use decisions on planning and land use management. Local governments must complete OCPs in accordance with Provincial legislation as outlined in the Local Government Act. Recent changes to the Local Government Act with Royal Assent of Bill 44 on November 30, 2023, require the Town to renew the OCP by December 31, 2025. The time limitation established by the new legislation together with the requirement for a comprehensive zoning bylaw review that aligns zoning with the OCP future land uses to also be adopted by the December 31, 2025, realistically provides the Town approximately 6 months to complete the bulk of the OCP renewal. The deadlines set by the Province is a key consideration when scoping the upcoming OCP renewal.
Given the delayed start of this proposed OCP renewal, meeting the Province’s December 31, 2025 deadline may be a challenge. The proposals should speak to this deadline and how it might be achieved. The Town will consider proposals that include a multi-phase update with the legislative requirements covered in the first phase, to be completed before December 31, 2025, and additional updates in a second phase to be completed in 2026.
In March of 2017, Council adopted the Town’s existing Official Community Plan, after extensive analysis and a public engagement that was initiated in 2016. The 2017 plan established a 20-year vision for the Town, establishing community objectives and broad policy statements to guide Council’s decisions about land use, zoning, and development. The new OCP must identify the location of residential housing to meet anticipated housing needs for the next 20 years and adopt zoning bylaws to permit the anticipated residential housing needs.
Additional information and specifics are included in the appendices and through weblinks in Appendix A.