What is an OCP?
An Official Community Plan (OCP) is a legal document for planning and managing the City's social, economic and physical future. It contains land use and other maps to guide development in the City.
It is a long range vision for the City that informs people about where growth will occur in the future and the character of that growth.
The OCP sets out the vision, goals and objectives for the future development of the City and contains policies and strategies for achieving this vision.
The plan reflects overall community values for the City which have been determined through the public participation process.
Who Uses an OCP?
Council and staff use the OCP when making decisions about zoning, development and service provision.
Residents and potential purchasers use the OCP to determine what will happen in a neighbourhood in the future.
Why is the OCP Important?
The OCP ensures that land use change is managed and co-ordinated.
The OCP provides certainty for residents, land owners and the City about the future.
How Does the OCP Work?
The OCP provides in words and through a map, the vision for future land use. Goals, objectives, and policies support the land use components of housing, jobs and business, transportation, parks and open space, and community facilities.
The OCP map shows the generalized future land designations. Official Community Plans can be adopted for the whole City, for planning areas of the City or for parts of planning areas.
The City-wide OCP deals with larger land use issues while the Planning Area and Sub-Area OCP's are used to deal with local neighbourhood land use issues.
How is the Zoning Map different from the OCP Map?
Generally, the zoning map shows what is allowed now, the OCP map shows what will be allowed in the future.
An OCP cannot commit Council to specific expenditures, however, Council cannot endorse actions contrary to the plan.
The OCP is supported by other City policies such as the Annual Budget, the 5 Year Capital Works Budget, the Zoning Bylaw, the Subdivision Control Bylaw, the Development Cost Charges Bylaw, and the Building Bylaw.
Why Update the OCP?
OCP (2041) Update
It is necessary to update the City’s 1999 Official Community Plan (OCP) to enable the City to better manage social, environmental and economic changes in light of current public and Council preferences. For example, the OCP update will promote sustainability, enable the City to manage to 2041, clarify where and how the population and employment will be managed outside the City Centre and address current trends (e.g., Bill 27 GHG GHG targets and policies, transportation and engineering servicing requirements.
Richmond has undertaken regular (every ten years) OCP updates and periodic amendments since it first OCP was adopted in 1986 and now Richmond is due for another update. It is noted that legislation requires that OCPs are to contain appropriate housing policies to meet anticipated housing needs for a period of at least five years. Furthermore it is anticipated that the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) will be adopted in mid-2010 and the Local Government Act requires municipalities to prepare a Regional Context Statement (RCS) in their OCPs that is consistent with the RGS within 2 years after the RGS is adopted.
Selected City Strategies, Plans, Services & Initiatives since 1999
For More Information
Please contact:
June Christy
Senior Planner - Policy Planning Division
Phone: 604-276-4188
Fax: 604-276-4052
