The foundational piece of the island’s planning vision is getting a refresh.
A review of Bowen’s Official Community Plan (OCP) begins this week. The document serves as the building blocks for all planning decisions on the island, from environmental preservation to rezonings, density and commercial placements, and much more. Council discussion on local projects frequently reference one or more OCP points as rationale for or against a decision.
“It can be used to show where future growth should go, and then people could apply to rezone their properties to match the OCP. The OCP can even provide guidance of what types of rezonings you’d want to see,” says the municipality’s manager of planning Daniel Martin.
“So not only is this where growth could happen, but we want these types of growth to occur, or to this level, or whatever that vision is.”
Martin points to the apartment building on Bowen Island Trunk Road and the future Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing project on Miller Road as examples of structures which were successful through multiple points of the current OCP – particularly the need for affordable housing and a preference to focus density and development in Snug Cove.
The last municipal OCP review took place in 2011, and Martin is curious to see how the changes the island has undergone since then will impact the new version. “We know Bowen’s had a big population turnover the last few census periods… We’ve had a lot of growth on Bowen, and everyone encountered the pandemic and all the changes that brought,” he says.
While a new cohort of Islanders certainly has the potential to usher in change, Martin expects some of the main tenets of the last document to remain. “One of the key visions of the 2011 OCP was care for the environment. People move to Bowen because they want to be in nature and close to nature, and they care about nature. I would fully expect that those will continue with the same vision and same goals of our OCP – how do we live and care for the natural environment?”
The process of answering these questions starts Thursday, May 8 with the first phase of public engagement. This stage involves a broad look at ideas people have for the island and combines a number of online and in-person events. “It’s looking at the vision and goals of that 2011 OCP and reaching out to the community to see, are these still the same goals? Are these still what the vision of the community has for the next 20 years?” explains Martin.
Online feedback includes a survey and a mapping exercise where people can pinpoint different neighbourhoods and areas of Bowen and explain what they would like to see happen there, such as housing, amenities or environmental preservation.
In-person engagements begin Saturday, May 10 where the consulting team McElhanney – who the municipality is working with on the OCP review – will have a stand at opening day of the Farmers Market, taking place at Bowen Island Community School from 10 am to Noon. Later in the day the consultants will be at the Bowen Island Public Library from 2 to 6 pm.
There’s also a Jane’s Walk taking place on Thursday, May 22 which constitutes a walking tour of Snug Cove. The public is invited to attend and point out things they would like to see happen throughout Bowen’s central hub as they walk by them. The tour starts at the Library and takes place from 6 to 7 pm.
Expected to be present at the in-person events in May – and those throughout the process – are members of the OCP Steering Committee. The group was formed last year in anticipation of the review process and includes several members of the community along with council and staff liaisons. The Steering Committee (OCPSC) is co-chaired by James Crandles and David McCullum.
“They are providing the overall guidance of the whole process,” says Martin of the OCPSC. “We had an amazing array of people volunteer… They have been key for us in terms of getting to know the background of the OCP, reviewing the current OCP, and hiring the consultants.”
More information on the OCPSC, including members, agendas, and minutes from past meetings, can be found on the municipal website. People are welcome to attend the committee’s public meetings which take place approximately once a month.
The first round of public consultation runs until Monday, June 9. “We will take the feedback – the surveys and people we talk to through various engagement – and come back to council with a report and initial direction, saying this is the engagement we’ve heard, this is where we think it’s going to go. And from that we then work on actual policy work,” explains Martin.
After that a second, more detailed round of engagement will take place this fall. “We’ve heard that the community wants to move in this direction, and so this is what we propose. Or we’ve heard that the community strongly reaffirms the visions of the 2011 OCP, and so we’d be moving with that same vision in mind,” Martin lists as possible directions for that stage depending on what feedback is received.
Staff are hoping to bring the OCP review to council early next year with the goal of adopting it in Summer 2026.
Before 2011, the last OCP review took place in 1996. By the time the results of the new review are implemented it will be 2026, marking 15 years between each revision. With the opportunity to influence such an impactful document coming around fairly infrequently, Martin says it’s very important as many people as possible contribute to shaping the island’s future.
“We want to make sure that through this process that council hears from everyone on Bowen to try to determine what is the vision for Bowen going forward,” said Martin. “We’re trying to hear from people as early as possible what to do.”
“It guides everything from what land use changes could be in your neighbourhood or not? What’s the future of your neighbourhood? What’s the future of Bowen? Where do we want to go? So we encourage everyone to participate.”
