Council Invites Public to an OCP Open House on May 7th at Sooke Community Hall

The public is invited to attend an (in person) Open House to discuss the Official Community Plan (OCP) on Saturday, May 7^th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Sooke Community Hall, located at 2037 Shields Road.

Council’s discussion with the community on the draft OCP is the next phase in the plan development after the OCP Advisory Committee completed their work over the last 18 months. "I would like to extend my appreciation to the committee for their efforts in bringing the draft plan to its current state and acknowledge the work of this team: Helen Ritts (chair), Norman Amirault, Councillor Al Beddows, Terry Cristall, Steve Grundy, Ellen Lewers, Linda MacMillan and Siomonn Pulla," said Mayor Tait. “Council recognizes that engagement with our community on the OCP has been impacted by the pandemic - with much of our conversations held virtually. We are very pleased to host this 'in person' community event to continue our consultation with you.”

The evolution of the draft OCP in its current state is the result of significant community input, with hundreds of residents providing feedback through participation boards at local businesses, online forums, virtual stakeholder meetings, letters, phone calls, community pop-ups at local markets and the Celebrate Sooke! event in September, and an in-person (by registration due to the pandemic) Open House with the Advisory Committee in October.

All municipal policies, plans and regulations must be in alignment with the OCP. The OCP review is an opportunity for the District to ensure that the goals and objectives remain relevant and to update as needed, guiding the direction of land use in Sooke for the next ten years.

Light refreshments will be provided at the May 7^th event, and all attendees can enter to WIN one of two $100 grocery store gift cards.

Related documents:

* At the March 28, 2022 Regular Council Meeting, Council discussed the next steps for the OCP currently under review and directed staff to bring forward an OCP with the following revised for consideration of first reading at the April 11, 2022 Regular Council meeting:

in section Section 3.14 Comprehensive Development, change the second bulletin from "consent" to "consult"
Whiffin Spit land use designation of Community Residential be replaced with Rural Residential and include a Neighbourhood Area Plan boundary (similar to section 3.15 Billings Spit/Kaltasin Neighbourhood Are Plan).
Development Permit Are guidelines for the foreshore area, replace "30 m" with "15 m."
Replace Lot 6, Plan VIP26066 (West Ridge Trails) land use designation of Rural Residential with Community Residential

The DRAFT OCP is being revised based on this feedback. An updated draft will be published shortly.