Thompson-Nicola Regional District staff would like to begin a consultation process for a new official community plan (OCP) for the North Thompson Valley.
In a report to a TNRD board of directors meeting held March 23, director of development services Regina Sadilkova said the new OCP would consolidate the existing Blue River, Avola, rural Clearwater and rural Barriere OCPs as well as provide a broader plan covering the North Thompson Valley.
Official settlement plans (OSP) for Barriere and Clearwater were adopted by the board in 1982. The OSPs offered the first area specific objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use.
These were reviewed in the early 1990s, culminating in the adoption of the Barriere and Clearwater OCPs in 1996.
Large areas of the Clearwater and Barriere OCPs were consolidated into the District of Clearwater and District of Barriere during their incorporation in 2007.
The Blue River and Avola OCPs were developed and adopted in 1994.
With the exception of the 2010 amendments to add policies related to community parks, riparian areas, and wildfire management, and then the 2011 amendments to include greenhouse gas emission policies, these OCPs have not undergone a comprehensive public review since their respective adoption dates.
The districts of Clearwater and Barriere would not be included in the proposed OCP but the TNRD planning staff recommended that the councils of any municipalities that is adjacent to the area covered by the plan be included in the consultation process.
Also recommended for inclusion would be First Nations school districts, greater boards and improvement district boards, as well as provincial and federal governments and their agencies.
In addition, it was proposed that public open house meetings be held in various communities throughout the North Thompson (e.g. Blue River, Vavenby, Little Fort, Blackpool) starting in the fall of 2017.
An eight-person advisory committee would assist in the process.
