Last week the City of Kimberley presented three major projects at an open house. The first two, the waste water treatment plant facility and the downtown infrastructure plan, are easy to understand — here’s what we hope to do and/or build.
The third project presented is a little harder to quantify, though nothing in Kimberley can be done whiteout its guidance. That is the updating of the Official Community Plan.
The OCP is Kimberley’s highest level policy document and will guide how the community grows for the next 20 years. It has been 12 years since the OCP was updated and the City has been seeking feedback as it goes through the process of renewing the plan. Kimberley has undergone a lot of change in the past 12 years and the plan has to adapt to reflect those changes and growth, as well as plan for continued growth.
Key policy areas in the community plan are community character; built environment; growth management; economic development; natural environment; heritage and culture; infrastructure and municipal finance governance and civic participation.
The OCP designates land use within in Kimberley and there are some major changes in store. First the updated OCP will simplify 23 different land use categories into six. All land use in Kimberley will now be designated Residential; Institutional; Recreational/Open Space; Commercial, Transportation, Industrial or Resource/Reclamation.
There will be increased land are designated for parks, recreation and open space — mostly hillsides and other areas not suited for development. But there will also be increased land area designated for industrial and commercial uses, including the Marysville Benchlands, which are being proposed for industrial use.
Questions, comments or feedback on the OCP may still be submitted to the City of Kimberley at planning@kimberley.ca
.