Staff Report: Bylaw No. 1862 - OCP19-0006 Official Community Plan Text Amendment (Regional Context Statement)

Background

Section 446 of the Local Government Act reads as follows:

446
(1) If a regional growth strategy applies to all or part of the same area of a municipality as an official community plan, the official community plan must include a regional context statement that is accepted in accordance with this Division by the board of the regional district for which the regional growth strategy is adopted.

(2) After a regional growth strategy is adopted, the requirement under subsection (1) must be fulfilled by the applicable council submitting a proposed regional context statement to the board within 2 years after the regional growth strategy is adopted.

(3) If a regional growth strategy is binding on a new municipality under section 436 (10) [municipal corporation within regional district area] and the regional growth strategy applies to all or part of the same area of the municipality as an official community plan, the requirement under subsection (1) of this section must be fulfilled by the council submitting a proposed regional context statement to the board within the earlier of the following:

(a) the period established by the Lieutenant Governor in Council by letters patent;
(b) 2 years after the municipality was incorporated.

Following the adoption of the original Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) by the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board in August 2003 the City of Langford adopted a Bylaw No. 971 in 2005 to include a Regional Context Statement as part of Langford’s previous Official Community Plan.

When the City adopted Bylaw No. 1200 (the City’s new OCP) in June 2008, it included Part 13 which was an updated Regional Context Statement.

On March 14th, 2018, the CRD Board adopted Bylaw No. 4017, being a revised RGS. Under Sec. 446(2) of the Local Government Act, the City of Langford has until March 18th, 2020 to submit a new regional context statement (attached for review) to the CRD board.

Commentary

The new RGS (2018) identifies 10 Objectives in 7 topic areas. These are similar to the 2003 RGS, and include:

1. Managing and Balancing Growth
   1.1 Keep Urban Settlement Compact
   1.2 Protect the Integrity of Rural Communities

2. Environment and Infrastructure
   2.1 Protect, Conserve and Manage Ecosystem Health
   2.2 Manage Regional Infrastructure Services Sustainably

3. Housing and Community
   3.1 Create Safe and Complete Communities
   3.2 Improve Housing Affordability

4. Transportation
   4.1 Improve Multi-Modal Connectivity and Mobility

5. Economic Development
   5.1 Realize the Region’s Economic Potential

6. Food Systems
   6.1 Foster a Resilient Food and Agriculture System

7. Climate Action
   7.1 Significantly Reduce Community-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In terms of changes between the 2003 and the 2018 RGS, the latter includes Objectives with respect to Food Systems and Climate Action, as outlined above.

Unlike the 2003 RGS, staff can find no inconsistencies between the City of Langford’s OCP and the RGS. In the previous RGS some lands within Langford that the OCP identified for residential development were designated in the RGS as “Renewable Resource Lands – Forest Land Reserve”. Similarly, part of what is now the West Shore Parkway was designated in the previous RGS as “Unprotected Greenspace”. These inconsistencies were recognized and accepted, at the time, by the Regional Board and have been eliminated from the current RGS.

Financial Implications

None.

Legal Implications

The City of Langford is obligated to send a Regional Context Statement to the CRD Board by March 2020.

Options

That the Planning, Zoning and Affordable Housing Committee recommend to Council:

1. Give first reading to Bylaw No. 1862; AND

2. Authorize Staff to refer Bylaw No. 1862 to the CRD Regional Planning Services for review, comment and/or approval by the CRD Board;

OR

3. Direct staff to revise Bylaw NO. 1862 and bring a revised copy of the Bylaw back to Council for review at a later date;

Respectfully submitted

Submitted by:
Matthew Baldwin, MCIP, RPP Director of Planning

Concurrence:
Adriana Proton, Manager of Legislative Services
Concurrence:
Lorne Fletcher, Manager of Community Safety and Municipal Enforcement
Concurrence:
Cory Manton, Manager of Parks and Recreation
Concurrence:
Michelle Mahovlich, P.Eng, P.Geo, Director of Engineering
Concurrence:
Leah Stohmann, MCIP, RPP, Deputy Director of Planning
Concurrence:
Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence:
Braden Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services
Concurrence:
Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer

:mgsb