Add your email to receive monthly project check-ins: OCP Update E-Panel
OCP Update Overview
The Official Community Plan (OCP) is Nelson's compass for growth and change. It guides the decisions we make today on how we design our neighbourhoods, the ways we move around, how we use our land and the amenities the City provides to get us to our collective vision for the future.
The City of Nelson's current OCP was adopted in 2013 and it is receiving a holistic update for the first time in 10+years. The OCP Update will ensure that the OCP policies reflect a collective vision for Nelson in 2050, outdated or completed policies are removed and that today's issues and best practice are incorporated.
Watch this 17min presentation from the project team to learn more about what an OCP is, what the project has done so far and where it is going.
OCP Update Timeline
The project is divided into five phases and is expected to wrap-up in early 2025 with OCP adoption.
Phase
One
Phase
Two
Phase
Three
Phase One: Project Scoping commenced in Spring 2023. This phase involved scoping the project’s deliverables, identifying required resources and drafting some high level intentions such as a project engagement strategy and the Three Guiding Principles framework. Phase One also asked the public to submit applications to be on the OCP Advisory Committee.
During Phase Two: Visioning, the OCP Update team conducted public engagement to develop a collective vision statement. Feedback from engagement was analysed for themes and the themes were consolidated into Four Foundational Values. The Four Foundational Values were combined with the Three Guiding Principles to craft a vision for Nelson in 2050. Read more in the Phase Two What We Heard & Crafted Report.
We are here! The Nelson 2050 Vision is now being implemented in Phase Three: Policy Review & Development as the project team evaluates the current OCP policies. The project team will be collecting feedback to finalize updating the policy directions in Spring 2024.
OCP Update Process
Updating the Official Community Plan entails:
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Meeting the requirements set out in the Government of British Columbia's Local Government Act
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Completing technical analysis and studies
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Reviewing best practice
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Reviewing existing plans, strategies and guidelines
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Providing opportunities for the public to provide feedback to ensure that we are leading the way to 2050 together.
The Nelson 2050 Vision
The OCP Update's Nelson 2050 Vision
Our welcoming heritage-rich mountain town is committed to community well-being by prioritizing equity, health and climate action. All Nelsonites are able to find affordable housing, live in walkable neighbourhoods, access efficient cost-effective transit, and meaningfully participate in public life. Our collective choices make us climate leaders, safeguarding and regenerating our ecological, economic and social systems for future generations. Art, education, diverse cultures, reconciliation and recreation enrich our daily lives, infusing our community with an active, healthy and creative spirit that respects and appreciates the land we call home.
The Nelson 2050 Vision was crafted by using the process illustrated below. The Four Foundational Values (representing public feedback) and the Three Guiding Principles (representing best practice) were combined.
The What We Heard & Crafted Report details the themes heard from Fall 2023 Visioning public engagement and how they were consolidated into the values. For more details on what each Foundational Value represents, read the Expanded Vision in the Snapshot section of the report.
The Four Foundational Values
Public Engagement
Help Shape Nelson's Future!
Phase Three public engagement is scheduled for Spring 2024 and will provide various opportunities for the public to give feedback on the OCP Update's policy review and policy development. After collecting feedback, the project team will evaluate the themes heard and determine if further policy changes are needed.
There will be an additional public engagement opportunity in Fall 2024 with the release of the draft updated OCP. The public will have a final opportunity to have their voices heard at public hearing for the OCP adoption scheduled for early 2025.
Phase Two public engagement ended on September 17, 2023 - thank you to everyone who engaged on the Nelson 2050 Vision! Look out for more engagement opportunities in Spring 2024 and sign-up for the E-Panel using the link above to stay in the know!
Read the Phase Two What We Heard & Crafted Report below to learn about the processes used to collect public feedback, analyse the feedback heard and craft the vision statement.
Click to download the report PDF.
Click below to watch the report presentation to the Committee of the Whole on November 21st. The presentation starts at 46:00min.
OCP Update Advisory Committee
The committee consists of 12 members of the public and 3 members of City Council. The Committee has been meeting monthly and is used as a sounding board to ensure the processes used to update the OCP and engage the public are robust. The Committee promotes public engagement opportunities through their professional and personal networks.
Meeting 1 - June 29, 2023
Meeting 3 - September 11, 2023
This presentation was provided by Small Housing BC. Click to see the Infill Housing 1-Pager for a summary of the content.
Meeting 5 - November 30, 2023
Meeting 7 - March 14, 2024
Meeting 9 - TBD
Meeting 2 - July 20, 2023
Meeting 4 - October 16, 2023
Meeting 6 - January 15, 2024
Meeting 8 - April 29, 2024
Meeting 10 - TBD
Resources
Review the resources below and build your capacity to engage on the OCP Update!
Monthly Check-ins
Monthly project check-ins are sent to the OCP Update E-Panel. Below is a link to download the latest check-in and a link to view the archive of all check-ins.
1-Pager Series
The 1-Pager series explores concepts relevant to the OCP. Share them with your networks and get discussing what considerations you think are needed.
Infill housing optimizes land use, promotes housing affordability, supports sustainability, and creates vibrant, walkable neighborhoods by redeveloping existing urban areas instead of expanding outward. Nelson is a small-community leader for infill housing ¹ and the Official Community Plan Update will ensure that the OCP policies are sufficient to guide the development of infill housing and achieve our collective vision of Nelson in 2050.
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Urban Planning Trivia Quiz
Test your knowledge and learn about Urban Planning concepts, issues and facts. Click on the picture to access a slideshow. Click right to go through the question and answer slides. Every answer slide has a link to the resource used to create the question. The OCP Advisory Committee was divided into teams and each team a had set of assigned resources to study. The Committee completed the quiz with flying colours!
Videos
OCP Update FAQ
Download the FAQ: FAQ February 9, 2024