The regional district’s South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy was discussed recently at a Planning and Development Committee meeting.
The Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) is a long-term planning project that deals with growth management issues over a 20-year period for the south Okanagan. The South Okanagan RGS has been developed over the past five years using a collaborative process that involves ongoing work with the public, First Nations, local, regional, provincial and federal governments.
Since its recent adoption, the RGS is entering the initial stages of implementation. Over the coming months and years, the RDOS will endeavour to engage south Okanagan communities and rural areas in order to further the implementation of the RGS. This work will involve updates to local official community plans to ensure consistency with the RGS and to address issues such as growth management boundary indentification.
The RGS does not include the Similkameen, who politicians opted out of the strategy in its early stages. (The Similkameen Valley Planning Society performs a similar function to the RGS in the Similkameen.)
Alternate Director for Area “D”, Tom Styffe questioned regional district staff with respect to changing primary and secondary growth areas that presently exist in the document. He noted that changes to requirements of the Dominion Radio Observatory (DRAO) with respect to radio interference at the St. Andrews subdivision and the desire by Twin Lakes resisdents to have their secondary growth area rating rescinded changed present RGS priorities.
“Is there an opportunity to revisit (these areas) ?” Styffe asked.
RDOS staff replied that the Regional Growth Strategy was revisited every five years, with board decisions on any changes to be signed off by all areas involved in the strategy.
A question also arose regarding the superiority of legislation – whether or not changes to an area’s Official Community Plan could supercede the RGS, to which the answer was that the RGS is superior to OCP changes – yet at the same time, the RGS was to be considered a “non-regulatory” document.
“You say its non-regulatory – but things have to be consistent with RGS policy,” observed Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes.
West Bench Director Michael Brydon commented that the issue was one of autonomy.
“The RGS point is to restrict autonomy,” he said, “ but it has yet to be tested.”
Area “G” Director Angelique Wood told the committee that it was important that Twin Lakes residents understand the obligation of the RDOS to accept subdivision applications, adding that identifying RGS areas of growth did not mean that the regional district was “pro growth at any cost.”
Alternate Director Styffe added that growth should be dealt with on a case by case basis.
Further discussion involved the question of how the RGS could be opened up to make changes to growth area designations, with Oliver rural Director Allan Patton suggesting that a motion be brought forward to the board.
