Sooke is inviting the public to participate as the municipality updates its official community plan.
The municipality last updated the OCP, a statement of objectives and policies to guide planning and land use management decisions by local governments, in 2008. Most community plans are updated every five to 10 years.
The municipality identified the update as a top priority in council’s recently adopted 2019-2022 strategic plan.
“It’s a very important document for our community,” Mayor Maja Tait said.
An official start of the community engagement will begin in October, with the launch of a survey and interactive online tools where residents can participate and learn about community growth trends and share ideas.
The newly-formed OCP committee’s first order of business is to develop different ways to present the plan to the public and garner input, said chair Coun. Al Beddows.
“The hardest thing is to make sure that apathy and COVID don’t get in the way of people letting us know what they want,” he said.
The committee is looking at the possibility of holding an open house at the Sooke Community Hall in the new year, and Tait hopes to see schools and other local organizations get involved.
The new OCP is expected to be completed in two years.
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