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The CVRD's Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas
DRAFT
The Cowichan Valley Regional District is in the traditional, unceded territories of the Cowichan Tribes, Penelakut Tribe and the Ditidaht, Pacheedaht, Halalt, Stz'uminus, Ts'uubaa-asatx, Lyackson, Malahat, Pauquachin, Hupačasath, K'ómoks, and Snuneymuxw First Nations.
The region covers an area of 3,473 km2 on Vancouver Island between Malahat/Mill Bay and North Oyster. On the western edge of the region is the Pacific Ocean; the Salish Sea sits on the region's eastern border.
An official community plan guides decision-making on matters related to land use and development. It is an important document which states community values and goals, and it must be used to assess any applications for rezoning or subdivision. As population increases and development is proposed, it is used to assist Directors, staff, and the public with decision-making processes.
In an official community plan, each property is given a “land use designation”. A designation represents what the community has envisioned for the future use and density of the parcel. Sometimes the designation broadly matches what is already built there. Other times, the designation prescribes something different — either a change in density, use, or both. To achieve this change, often a rezoning application is needed to align the property’s zoning with the official community plan’s land use designation.
What you will find in this storymap is a visual representation of some of the key components in the regional Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas (OCP) and represents several years of work to both harmonize and modernize the all 9 electoral area official community plans.
How to use the maps
In the sections below, you will find a number of maps to help visualize the OCP.
In the bottom right corner of the map, you will find a + and a - button. These will zoom in and out of the map. The home button above them will take you back to the original extents of the map. To move around the map click (or tap) and drag.
At the bottom left corner of the map you will find the legend. If it is minimized, you can click (or tap) to open it, or click the X to close it.
At the top left of the map is a search button. Here, you can type in an address to zoom to that location. Start typing in the address you're interested in, and click on the correct address when it pops up. To return back to the original view of the map, click the home button at the bottom right.
Land Use and Planning Background
Growth Containment Boundaries
The GCB delineates areas where growth, development, and investment in services and infrastructure should be focused. For the GCB to be an effective tool to manage growth, it needs to also have a clear link with land use designations that prescribe uses and densities.
Apart from a few exceptions, designations within the GCB allow for densities higher than 1 unit per hectare (uph) and those outside the GCB allow for densities below 1 uph. This establishes a standard whereby new development that is of a density of 1 uph or higher is to be located within the GCB and is ideally connected to water and sewer systems.
See here for more information:
Find the full Draft OCP here .
Find more information about the OCP process here .
Click here to find out how you can participate and have your say in the OCP.