The first draft of a plan that will shape Abbotsford for years to come proposes a “major rethink” of the urban core and the creation of a city centre along South Fraser Way with fewer parking lots and more sidewalk cafes.
It also suggests considering asking for the removal of ALR land for industrial use and sports fields. (View the full plan here.)
Two years after the city first began reviewing its official community plan (OCP), dubbed Abbotsforward, council got their first look Monday at the 180-page document, which lays out how the city will grow as its population heads towards 200,000 residents. Abbotsford is currently home to around 140,000 people.
Council heard from city planners that previous OCPs, the most recent of which was created in 2005, focused on suburban developments that require personal vehicles. The new draft plan represents a “fundamental change in the way the city is developed.” The comprehensive plan would set the city on a course to become more dense, and more pedestrian- and bike-friendly, with busy neighbourhood centres and better connections between different parts of the city.
With little virgin land remaining for home development, the plan notes that new growth will come from increasing density within existing neighbourhoods. Of the 60,000 new residents the OCP plans for, it envisions three-quarters of them residing in existing residential areas. Staff wrote that the draft OCP aims to create a “city of centres,” by focusing commercial development and amenities at defined neighbourhood gathering points and by promoting a city better suited to walking, bicycling and transit.
In addition to the creation of a “city centre” based along and around South Fraser Way, the plan proposes four additional “urban centres” – in Abbotsford’s historic downtown, at the intersection of Marshall and McCallum roads, in and around the intersection of Clearbrook Road and South Fraser Way, and at the UDistrict around the University of the Fraser Valley. The plan proposes 14 additional neighbourhood centres within Abbotsford’s urban boundary, and envisions 70 per cent of all future commercial development occurring within those centres.
South Fraser Way, between Bourquin Crescent and Trethewey Street, would be a “pedestrian-friendly urban boulevard and retail street rich with street life served by frequent transit.” The plan suggests breaking up the area’s large blocks, eliminating large surface parking lots, building more homes, and better connecting Mill Lake to the centre. The document suggests a tree-lined four-lane road, with separated bike lanes and vibrant sidewalks.
The draft OCP suggests a “rethink [of] streets in urban and neighbourhood centres to focus on people by turning them into destinations for gathering, shopping and lingering.”
Parking lots would largely go below ground, and a denser city would increase transit options and reduce infrastructure costs.
Whether Abbotsford grows as the plan proposes will be dependent on the co-operation and wishes of future councils, developers, senior levels of government and major local institutions. Council will be able to amend the plan to allow development outside the bounds of the OCP, which would also require significant updates to other city planning documents.
A final round of public consultations – including meetings with stakeholders, presentations to city committees, and a public hearing – will take place before the plan is adopted. Based on the feedback the city receives, the draft will be altered and amended, prior to an anticipated adoption by council in May.
The events will include a “pop-up park” event later this month at which residents can see the new plan and add their input. The event will include food truck vendors, mini golf activities and live music. The event runs Friday, April 15 from 1 to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
