Greenwood is very much a heritage community. The downtown stroll is filled with tourists stopping to take pictures of the lovely buildings. Some of those building go back to the 1890s.
Greenwood is a heritage community in another respect as well. The city has not reviewed their Official Community Plan since 1996. Now that’s a historical document!
Provincial law allows municipalities to adopt an Official Community Plan (OCP). While OCPs do not require the council or board to proceed with any project contained in the plan, all bylaws or works undertaken by local government must be consistent with the plan. So it acts as a guidepost for the general direction of the community, providing a list of purposes and goals to work towards. Public input during an OCP review gives residents a chance to weigh in too.
The RDKB planning department has offered to put this project on their work schedule. By using regional district staff it will cost about $40,000 spread over two years; far less than if a private consultant were hired.
Council was asked on Monday night to commit to the regional district offer so that folks in the Trail office can set their own budget and work plan for the year.
Money came up as the stumbling block, and Greenwood is set to decide during budget discussions beginning later this month whether to go forward with a review of their OCP.
There are young couples raising families in the city who have never in their adult lives had an opportunity to provide input into this document, which should form part of the foundation that a strong and vibrant municipal democracy is built upon.
We are not sure what the best-before date is on an OCP, but 19 years might be a stretch.
