The City of White Rock’s Official Community Plan review has concluded after a two-year process. On July 12, 2021, White Rock City Council adopted the Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 2387 (PDF), the bylaw that updates the City's OCP.
Changes to the OCP include:
- Limiting the scale (height and density) of new development in the Town Centre area to four to twelve storeys
- Town Centre Transition area height maximum is now four storeys, or six storeys with the provision of affordable housing
- Waterfront Village land use designation has a height limit of three storeys in West Beach (west of Foster Avenue), and four storeys only permitted east of Foster Avenue if the top of the building is 3.5 metres or less above the highest point along the property line
- Introducing new definitions for “affordable rental housing” as they relate to density bonus incentives for projects that include such housing.
The City worked with the public to get feedback and make sure the community's aspirations and concerns were understood and shared with Council before they made decisions on changing the OCP. Thank you to our residents and businesses for engaging with the City and providing your opinions and feedback.
Background:
The Official Community Plan (OCP) is the City's blueprint for managing change over the long term to achieve our shared goals and aspirations. The plan contains policies that guide Council's 'land-use' decisions for where and how we grow in the future, helping to conserve what we love about White Rock as well as improve the quality of life for current and future residents.
An OCP is typically reviewed every five years to ensure it remains relevant and continues to meet the needs of the community. Changes to the OCP can be considered by Council in between major updates.
As part of Council’s Strategic Priorities, White Rock Council directed staff to re-engage with residents and businesses on certain aspects of the current OCP, which was adopted in October 2017. The primary goal of this review was to ensure that the plan reflects the community's values. Initial public engagement on several aspects of the OCP was undertaken in 2019.However, due to the restrictions on in-person public engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, this engagement was paused and resumed in early 2021.
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