City Council gives first reading to new OCP bylaw

After a marathon session, Prince George City Council has given first reading to the Official Community Plan (OCP) bylaw.

While the item appeared towards the start of the agenda of last night’s (Monday) meeting, it was pushed to the end of the meeting due to the length Council estimated it would take to discuss and take care of the item.

There was also a presentation from Urban Systems earlier in the meeting on the public engagement done on the document.

According to that “What We Heard Report,” 63 per cent of 152 survey respondents supported the vision statement of the draft OCP, which reads:

“Our community is the “Gathering Place” of the north, specifically a confluence where people, cultures, regional economies, transportation, and river systems come together.

In 2050, the City of Prince George will be rich in cultural diversity, honour our heritage, and celebrate a high quality of life surrounded by natural beauty. Our community will have a vibrant urban core, and a diverse local economy that attracts new businesses, amenities, and emerging technologies. This community recognizes that to ensure resilience, we must collectively protect our environment, strategically invest in cost-effective infrastructure, and manage growth. This will assure us to be the “Gathering Place” and a confluence of the north.” 

22 per cent were neutral to the statement, while 16 per cent either opposed or strongly opposed it.

When the time came to discuss the item, Mayor Simon Yu had suggested postponing the item to a later meeting, as it was past 9:00 pm.

“I was prepared to deal with this tonight, and we’ve gone much longer than 9:20, out of past experience, so let’s deal with this, and then the majority of what we have to do will be that public hearing,” said Councillor Ron Polillo, a sentiment that was shared among the majority of Council.

“I came prepared to deal with this tonight, I think we should deal with it, because [postponing] it delays this even further.”

After Council voted to continue on, the City’s Manager of Development Services Mandy Jones provided a presentation on the draft OCP.

“This presentation will briefly outline to Council a high level synopsis of the 2025 OCP roadmap, highlights the policy document of the new 2025 Official Community Plan, and implementation following the adoption of this bylaw,” Jones said.

“The 2025 OCP establishes a framework of planning and land use within the City of Prince George. The OCP gains official status once Council has adopted it through the enactment of a bylaw.”

Jones said there were five goals that came from community engagement and visioning sessions:

• We have created complete communities that meet the daily needs of our residents and include a range and mix of housing options for all.
• Our parks and open spaces are protected, enhanced and well connected by trails so they can be safely and comfortably enjoyed by the community.
• We strategically invest in existing and cost-effective infrastructure, to best serve current and future generations as the city grows and develops.
• The economy is strong and diverse, with flexible, mixed-use development supporting a range of thriving businesses.
• We are an environmentally conscious and responsible City, with climate protection, mitigation and adaption integrated into our approach to land use, servicing, development and transportation.

Following Jones’ presentation, Council had the opportunity to ask questions on what was in the document, with some Councillors indicating they would be presenting amendments to the document.

These amendments will be presented at a later meeting.

Mayor Simon Yu said he felt the document was not ready for the public.

“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done, I’m just glad this is a living document, regardless of how we look at it, we can change it, but is this document exciting enough,” Yu said.

“Is it visionary enough for us, as a city, to become a great city? In my opinion, it’s no.”

Yu voted against the first reading of the bylaw.

While Council gave first reading, second reading was postponed to the next council meeting, scheduled for February 24th.

Another motion to schedule a public hearing for February 26th regarding the OCP was also postponed, meaning the public hearing will have to take place at a later date.