Official Community Plan (2041) Update

Towards a Sustainable Community
What is your vision for the City of Richmond in 2041?  The City of Richmond is updating its current Official Community Plan to enable the City to better manage social, environmental and economic changes.

• Richmond in 2041: What kind of City do you want it to be?

Transportation

• What would get you on your bike?
• How can we make taking transit easier for you?
• What else is needed to help you get out of your car?

A transportation survey is also online and can be accessed through the following link: Transportation Survey

Parks

• What is a park?
• Is your neighbourhood park just a space or a special place?
• Building a network of parks and open spaces for the future, what does it look like?

Natural Environment

• Why do you value Richmond's natural environment?

September 2010 Discussion Forum
Beginning in September 2010, the online discussion website will have other discussion topics focussed on population growth, housing, energy and climate change, parks and open space strategies.  This fall, public open houses will also be held to continue the discussion.  The dates, times and venues will be posted on this website in September.

November 2009 OCP Public Survey Results
The results of the November 2009 OCP survey are available in the link below.  In June 2010 Council considered the OCP survey results, the next steps to complete the OCP update, and the progress on the main OCP studies.

OCP Update 2041 - First Round Public Consultation Results & Next Steps

• Richmond City Council is doing many things right and those who responded want this to continue and improve;
• The City has a strong potential, as its building blocks (e.g., City Centre densification, Canada Line, ALR preservation, sustainability policies and efforts) will enable the City to move towards being a more sustainable community with:
• strong political leadership;
• senior government assistance;
• mixed use and densification at key places; and
• improved transportation, natural areas, parks and green space.

Richmond residents are willing to do more and make changes to make their community more sustainable.  These changes include taking transit instead of their cars, eating more locally grown food and making energy improvements to their home or workplace.  There was more of a mixed response about future population growth (e.g., concern about traffic congestion, loss of green space and the loss of farmland).  On the other hand, many residents would like to see more housing choices, walkable mixed use neighbourhoods with amenities and shops and services close by.  There was very strong support for protecting Richmond's natural areas.

The draft 2041 OCP Vision statement was widely supported although respondents felt that strong political leadership, reducing car dependence, preserving and providing more green space and parkland were necessary ingredients for the Vision of Richmond in 2041 to occur.  Based on those comments, the 2041 OCP Vision was revised.  On the online discussion forum, we ask you to comment on what else should be included in the vision.

  OCP Update 2041 - OCP Vision

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets, Policies and Actions
As part of the City's Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP), in May 2010, Council approved a community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 33 below 2007 levels by 2020 to satisfy Provincial Legislation (Bill 27, the Local Government Statutes Amendment Act).  The Bill requires that all municipalities include GHG reduction targets in their OCP's by May 31, 2010.  A Bylaw was passed that also includes principles for guiding City GHG reduction actions and commits the City to establish new policy and actions based on Triple Bottom Line assessments.

  Proposed Greenhouse Gas Emission Production Target
  Greenhouse Gas Management Bylaw
  Recommended Changes to OCP GHG Management Bylaw

Moving Towards a More Sustainable Richmond
The City is updating the OCP to reflect a move toward a more sustainable Richmond. The most commonly understood definition of "sustainable development" is:

"Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"

Richmond defines sustainable development as development that strengthens social institutions and values, enables a vibrant, innovative and resource efficient economy, and protects and enhances ecological resources to ensure that these continue to provide valuable services for all.

For more information on sustainability, please visit the City's A Sustainable City webpage.

An Updated OCP with a Sustainability Vision
At the core of Richmond's drive towards sustainability is the understanding that in order to provide future generations with healthy social, economic and environmental systems, we must look for new, sustainable strategies for maintaining our high standard of living.  Exploring new sustainability strategies and identifying those which inspire us is what the OCP is about.

OCP will Address Current Trends and Future Needs
In the OCP update the City will clarify where and how the population and employment will be managed outside the city centre and address current trends such as provincial legislation concerning green house gas reduction targets, policies and actions.  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 of the RGS being adopted.

Richmond has undertaken regular updates (every ten years) and periodic amendments since its first OCP was adopted in 1986 and now Richmond is due for another update.
  
OCP Public Survey (November 2009)
The City of Richmond wants to hear what you think about your community today, and how you want your community to look in the future.  Your input is important and will be considered in updating the OCP.

  OCP (2041) Update Public Survey (November 2009)
  OCP Update 2041 - Chinese Language Survey (for viewing/printing)

First Round OCP Public Consultation Documents (November 2009)
  OCP Update 2041 Newspaper Insert Page1
  OCP Update 2041 Newspaper Insert Page2
  OCP Update 2041 Display Boards


OCP Update and Public Participation
To identify what our sustainable community will look like and to fairly reflect community values and aspirations in the OCP, a number of Public Open Houses were held in November 2009.  There will be more opportunities to give us your comments at Open Houses next Spring and Fall 2010 when the plan is taking shape.

Main Studies for the OCP Update
To help us update the Official Community Plan, we will be working on several background studies.  Some of the main studies are:

Demographic and Employment Study
We will be developing comprehensive city wide population, dwelling unit and employment projections to 2041.

Employment Lands Strategy
Employment lands include all lands that are used for business and jobs.  They include our commercial, office, industrial and agricultural lands.  The study will help identify how much employment land we will need to meet our growing business and employment needs in 2041.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Management Strategy
Typical natural areas found in Richmond are our river shorelines, waterways, wetlands, bogs, woodlots and marshes.  The study will make sure our ESA inventory is up to date, add new areas to the inventory and help us find ways to improve the way we can protect them in the future.  The ESAs are legal areas and the ESA map is part of the OCP.

Green House Gas Reduction Targets, Policies and Actions
The Province of BC's new Climate Action Legislation (Bill 27) requires local governments to incorporate Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets, policies and actions for achieving those targets in their municipal Official Community Plans by May 31, 2010.  To help the process, the Province has generated a Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI) for each municipality.  The CEEI uses 2007 as a baseline year and looks at three sectors: