The District of Highlands continues to make progress on the South Highlands Local Area Plan (LAP), but council has decided to seek additional information before providing direction on next steps.
On Monday, council was asked by staff to select one of three options which would provide high-level guidance for the staff and consultants at Barefoot Planning and Design, currently developing a draft of the plan. The options were related to planned land use in the Gateway area and council had a choice of directing planners to incorporate a policy of no new development, low impact development, or to maintain the existing policy for the land.
Council instead voted to defer the decision.
B次元官网网址淲e wanted some more information because we are still early in this,B次元官网网址� Mayor Ken Williams said. B次元官网网址淲e are asking to see all the raw data and comments (from the second round of public surveys).B次元官网网址�
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Regardless which direction council tells planners to pursue in the local area plan, it remains in the early stages and requires more discussion and public consultation before a draft plan is presented to council to approve later this year.
In development since summer 2019, the LAP forms part of the districtB次元官网网址檚 2019-23 Strategic Plan. Once completed, it will compliment the existing Official Community Plan and contribute to the OCPB次元官网网址檚 upcoming review.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 our vision for the future in terms of what the southern Highlands Gateway will look like,B次元官网网址� Williams said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 planning the future of that area.B次元官网网址�
On Monday, council also received a report outlining the feedback collected by the LAP task force over two years of meetings, public surveys and stakeholder interviews, all of which will be used to help draft the plan.
Early feedback focused on identifying issues, opportunities and desired amenities.
Issues included the need to protect groundwater, balance environmental protection with development, maintain a rural character, the lack of pedestrian and bike infrastructure, and safety on narrow roads.
Opportunities included traffic calming to mitigate speeding, a separated multi-use trail parallel to Millstream Road, low-impact development and stronger links to Thetis Lake Regional Park. Desired amenities included parks and greenspace, increased mobility for non-motorists, a park and ride station, affordable housing, playgrounds, a recreation centre and recycling facilities.
That early feedback was refined into core planning values during the second round of feedback collection, which include watershed health and protection, environmental health and conservation, community safety, rural lifestyle and limited, low-impact development.
The requested additional information is expected to be prepared quickly, Williams said, allowing council to provide its guidance equally quickly. The hope is that the plan can be finalized with formal public consultation sessions and council approval by the summer.
B次元官网网址淲e would like to encourage as much public participation as possible,B次元官网网址� he said.
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justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
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