The communities of Wilmer (pictured above) and Dry Gulch are to be included in the Official Community Plan for Steamboat-Jubilee Mountain.

The communities of Wilmer (pictured above) and Dry Gulch are to be included in the Official Community Plan for Steamboat-Jubilee Mountain.

New Planning Process Set to Begin for Wilmer and Dry Gulch

Residents and property owners in Wilmer and Dry Gulch are being encouraged to attend one of two community meetings this month.

Residents and property owners in Wilmer and Dry Gulch are being encouraged to attend one of two community meetings this month regarding a new planning process in their area .

“This is about creating a vision for future growth and development in Wilmer and Dry Gulch, and the community’s input and involvement is critical,” says RDEK Electoral Area G Director, Gerry Wilkie. “This will be an 18 month process and will result in a bylaw amendment to the Steamboat-Jubilee Mountain OCP that will include Wilmer and Dry Gulch in the existing Official Community Plan.”

The meetings will feature an introduction to official community plans and an overview of the expected planning process. In addition, those in attendance will be asked to share their thoughts on the process and identify important topics they feel should be addressed in the plan.

There will be two meetings held in the next few weeks: from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19 in the Palliser Room at Radium Resort, and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 20 at the Wilmer Community Hall.

“We have scheduled the meetings in two different locations to accommodate as many people as we can, so I’m hoping we have a good turnout,” adds Wilkie. “The same information will be presented at both meetings so participants only need to attend one of the two.”

The RDEK has also prepared a questionnaire to assist residents in identifying — and sharing – the major planning issues in the area.  The deadline to have questionnaires filled out and returned to the RDEK is October 5th.  Copies of the questionnaire and more information on the Wilmer Dry Gulch Planning Process can be found on the RDEK’s website at www.rdek.bc.ca.

For more information, contact RDEK Planner Matt Gunn at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

—Submitted by the Regional District of East Kootenay

 

Invermere Valley Echo