Green spaces the hot topic at first Official Community Plan public hearing

Prince George residents will have another opportunity to comment on the Official Community Plan. (OCP)

A public hearing was held in a packed City Council Chamber tonight (Wednesday) on the OCP, the first of possibly many on the document.

Roughly 30 Prince George residents gave their input on the document. Protecting green spaces, such as Ginter’s and Moore’s Meadow was the most-discussed topic during tonight’s hearing, with roughly half of the speakers bringing up the issue.

“Ginter’s represents this bigger thing that we care about in Prince George, and if the urban containment boundary can’t be shrunk to represent those values, then that’s not democratic,” said Jenn Matthews, one of the speakers and a member of the Ginter’s Green Forever group.

While a road extension going through the area was removed from the OCP, the plan does not designate it as a park or green space.

“Growth should not come at the expense of what makes our city beautiful and livable,” said Selene Maxwell.

“We’ve been told that development pays for development. It does not. We know that the costs of infrastructure and it’s maintenance are paid by the taxpayer.”

Michelle Oster, speaking specifically on Moore’s Meadow, referenced a survey from one of Dr. Annie Booth’s UNBC classes.

“Participants expressed that green space offers a great escape into the environment, promotes physical fitness and well-being, as well as fosters a sense of community and social interaction,” she said.

“In addition, 91 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that wildlife in the meadow was important to them.”

After about three-and-a-half hours, Council decided to adjourn and reconvene at a later date to allow people who may be away for spring break to comment on the OCP.

Council set the reconvening date for April 9th at 7:00 pm.

Until then, Manager of Legislative Services Ethan Anderson noted that City Council is allowed to receive new information related to the OCP prior to the next hearing, but they have to bring that information back to the Council table.

“We would re-accept any correspondence, if anybody is submitting new correspondence, we’ll accept that and republish an agenda,” he said.

“Council has to keep an open mind over the next few days, keep an open to any representation, so over the next few weeks, you can’t make any definitive statements about how you would vote in the future.”

Any amendments from Council will be made following the closure of the hearing on April 9th. If significant amendments are made to the plan, another public hearing will be held.