Comprehensive Sustainability Planning and Official Community Planning Services

During the development of a comprehensive District Plan (DP) or Official Community Plan (OCP), citizens, partners, and other stakeholders work together to create a vision, identify issues, develop goals and outline strategies to ensure the long-term success of the community. Our process utilizes ten steps:

• Compile background research (e.g. collect historical information, statistics, existing studies, etc.);

• Community meeting(s);

• Formation of a working group;

• Review vision & guiding goals;

• Map the community's current condition;

• Map the community's future vision (e.g. begin outlining areas for enhancement or improvement within the various policy areas identified by the community such as land use, recreation, heritage, green space, facilities and environmental stewardship);

• Provide potential for a set of measurable indicators and targets for each of the themes;

• Write, present & revise the Official Community Plan;

• Partners to adopt the OCP and Implementation Plan; and

• Annually monitor, evaluate (using SMART principles - Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) and report on plan progress.

Project tasks are organized in four phases: 1) gathering and collecting information; 2) community assessment and community engagement 3) developing an OCP or Regional Community Plan; and 4) concurrently providing guidance and input into related projects, activities and programs being undertaken.

This comprehensive community planning process may take anywhere between 4 to 18 months depending on the community needs, wants and resources. Each plan is based on deliverables agreed to between the client and our team. Note: demand for OCP's has increased and can effect when a start date may occur.

Related Community Planning and Research Services

Our team also provides a number of related community planning and social research consulting services. These include though are not limited to:

• Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw Implementation;

• Development of Strategic Plans and Comprehensive Land Use Management Planning Frameworks for Aboriginal communities;

• Development of Strategic Plans for local governments, community-based, regional and provincial-based organisations and agencies;

• Drafting of Zoning Bylaws;

• Development and facilitation of community engagement processes;

• Concept plan development;

• Drafting of Development reviews for local governments;

• Comprehensive Land use policy analysis review;

• Advisement to prospective Developers of planning legislation;

• Comprehensive geo-spatial analysis including full mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) services e.g. development of Future Land Use Maps, Zoning Maps, Concept Plans;

• Adaptation Planning - technical skill-set related to Land and Infrastructure Resiliency Assessment related to flood mitigation and other climate extremes and natural constraints;

• Full complement of applied social research and analysis including literature reviews, environmental scans, social indicators and needs assessments utilizing a variety of mixed methods;

• Cultural mapping and Asset based mapping;

• Urban design/Place-making processes and techniques based on Project for Public Spaces principles and methodology;

• Conduction of various planning education workshops and presentations to various audiences e.g. School children, Councillors, Administrators, Agencies, Organizations, Industry representatives; and

• Training and implementation of various different facilitation and community engagement processes and techniques.

Clients include all orders of government, cooperatives, developers, small businesses and community based organizations requesting assistance in these areas. Services are available locally, nationally and internationally.