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New OCP adopted

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board, at its regular meeting of Oct. 25, adopted the new official community plan (OCP) for Roberts Creek.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board, at its regular meeting of Oct. 25, adopted the new official community plan (OCP) for Roberts Creek.

The new OCP replaces the previous OCP adopted in 1994 and will guide land use planning by establishing general policies and principles that govern the overall direction of development, servicing and land use patterns in the Roberts Creek OCP area.

?"This is a significant achievement for our community and extensive work has been undertaken by the planning department staff and OCP review advisory committee," said SCRD board chair Garry Nohr in a news release. "Development of an OCP requires a strong understanding of local issues, sound decision making, broad public engagement and knowledge of provincial legislation."

The SCRD began the Roberts Creek OCP review process in 2008. Prior to adopting the plan, the SCRD planning department and the OCP review committee met more than 70 times (representing more than 3,500 hours of volunteer time) to develop the OCP vision, goals and policies.

A public information meeting was held on Sunday, April 1, 2012 and was attended by more than 100 residents. The OCP received first reading on Oct. 27, 2011 and second reading on July 26, 2012, which incorporated many changes proposed during the on-going public consultation period. Additional comments were considered and the OCP received second reading on Sept. 20, 2012.

Building on the knowledge base from the 1994 OCP, the new OCP modernizes the direction and goals previously set by the regional district and the Roberts Creek community. The OCP establishes a vision statement and incorporates several new goals; including providing for a range of housing, increased support for local food production and adoption of the targets from the SCRD community energy and emissions plan.

"The OCP will continue to maintain the rural lifestyle and character of Roberts Creek," added Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar. "The plan addresses key issues, like protecting drinking water aquifers, lessening the human impact on the environment, creating focused settlement areas and building walkable neighbourhoods. I am so appreciative of the hard work and commitment of the volunteers who worked on this project."

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