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PoCoPlan (OCP Review)


PoCoPlan Logo - LargeWith the adoption of the 2005 Official Community Plan (OCP) on Monday, June 27th 2005, PocoPlan, the OCP review process, is now complete!
Council Adopts 2005 OCP Into Bylaw After two years of hard work by the City and the OCP Task Group, including a series of public input opportunities, the Official Community Plan (OCP) was adopted into Bylaw on Mondat June 27, 2005. The 2005 OCP will now replace the OCP adopted by Council in 1993 as the City's Official Community Plan.

What is the OCP and why did we review it?

 In the spring of 2003, the City began reviewing its existing Official Community Plan (OCP) adopted by City Council in 1993. The OCP is a policy bylaw that guides growth and development of a community by providing for the integration of land use, economy, environment, transportation, community facilities and services into a broad strategy. After 10 years, our OCP needed to be updated to account for how our community has changed since 1993 and better plan for the future. The OCP review process was called PocoPlan.
The 2005 OCP is the City’s vision for the future growth, land use and development of our community including the ideas and input of the public who participated in the PocoPlan process. The OCP’s policies, land use designations and development permit area guidelines strive to respond to the objectives of community members and stakeholders, while respecting broader goals for a liveable region, and balancing the need to provide a sustainable community for future generations.
The OCP is divided into sections, which include: Purpose, Community Vision, Objectives; Community Context; Regional Context Statement; Policies; Land Use Designations; Implementation; and Development Permit Areas. These sections work in conjunction to convey through words and maps the City’s vision for future growth and development. The heart of the document, is the policy and land use designation sections, which includes detailed direction for the City in terms of specific issues and land areas. The implementation of these components of the plan establishes the development pattern of the community and manages its growth.
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 The PocoPlan Process
The PocoPlan review process was comprehensive. After spending most of 2003 gathering public input, the PocoPlan Task Group and City Staff spent the spring of 2004 drafting the revised OCP. In June 2004, the City held several open houses and public meetings for the community to review the draft OCP and provide comments and feedback on the proposed policies and land use designations.  The City also worked with other government agencies to ensure the proposed OCP met their objectives.  The City spent the fall of 2004 working to resolve outstanding issues and revising the draft OCP based on comments and feedback received through the consultation process.
On December 13, 2004, Council gave the proposed OCP first and second reading. As required under Section 879 of the Local Government Act, formal referrals were then sent to a number of inter-governmental agencies, including the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), the surrounding municipalities and the Kwikwetlem First Nation. The Local Government Act specifies that the GVRD and the ALC must approve the OCP.

Both the ALC and the GVRD confirmed their approval of the OCP in April 2005, after requesting minor amendments to policies and maps. On May 24 2005, Council accepted the proposed amendments and re-read second reading. A Public Hearing was held on Wednesday June 15th, 2005. The public hearing attracted numerous residents and stakeholders who spoke about such issues as transportation, agriculture, affordable housing, parks and the environment.  At the next regular meeting of Council, Council considered and approved the OCP Bylaw  for Third and Fourth (final) reading.
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How were the public, interest groups and stakeholders involved?
The PocoPlan process included numerous opportunities for community input and the participation of several hundred community members and stakeholders. Throughout the OCP review, publications and contact information were available on the City’s website, City Hall, Hyde Creek Recreation Complex, Arena Recreation Complex and Terry Fox Library. All open houses, workshops, public meetings and the publication of the Challenges and Choices Report, the Workbook, and the draft OCP were advertised in both local papers, on the City’s website, and notices posted at City facilities. In addition, the Task Group visited numerous local clubs, groups and organizations to encourage community participation.
The Task Group was comprised of local citizens who helped guide the PocoPlan process and made recommendations to Council on the content and structure of the final 2005 OCP.
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What changes are included in the 2005 OCP?
The significant changes in policy direction and land use designation contained in the 2005 OCP reflect the evolution of the community, the availability of new data and information, and emerging regional, social, economic and environmental issues. Some complex matters required a detailed review of all the issues, consequences and criteria to ensure policies and land use designations balanced diverse community and stakeholders’ values within the goals of a liveable region and objectives that promote sustainability.  The PocoPlan process and City Council reviewed these changes.

A sample of the significant changes included in the 2005 OCP include:

  • Including policies that incorporate sustainable development and "smart growth" principles and practices into community planning;
  • New transportation principals such as Travel Demand Management and regional transportation initiatives are recognized and incorporated;P
  • Permitting 33 foot (10 metre) wide single family residential lots in certain single family residential areas;
  • Re-designating of a portion of the Dominion Triangle area (Ottawa/Lougheed) from "Industrial" to "Highway Commercial";
  • Re-designating a portion of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve from "Urban Reserve" to "Agriculture";
  • A second conceptual alignment for the Fremont Connector;
  • Designating more land for townhouses and apartments;
  • Incorporating a wide scope of policies in regards to social issues, civic involvement, public safety and health;
  • Streamlining our Development Permit Area guidelines to present the information in a more concise and readable format; and
  • Introducing policies on community and urban design.

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Highlighted OCP Issues: Growth Management and Transportation
Growth management is a key component to the 2005 OCP. As part of the review process, the capacity estimates and projections for population, dwelling unit and employment have been reviewed and revised using new information (i.e. 2001 Census, GVRD and municipal statistics). The figures have not changed significantly from the 1993 OCP and suggest the population in Port Coquitlam could increase to 80,000 before reaching capacity. Additionally, projected growth in adjacent communities must be considered, which has implications on land uses, transportation, infrastructure, and community services – to name just a few. The OCP strives to address growth management through its policies and land use designations; including policies on housing, economy, sustainability and transportation.

Although the OCP is not the City’s official Master Transportation Plan (MTP), it does incorporate transportation policies in order to address growth management issues. Two of the more controversial routing alignments are the Coast Meridian Overpass  and the Fremont Connector. Both of these proposed transportation routes are needed in the long term in order to address growth in the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.

The Coast Meridian Overpass will be constructed over the next several years. The completion of the overpass will allow for numerous improvements in traffic circulation and benefit PortCoquitlam citizens and visitors alike. The alignment has been set, however final technical details are still being completed. This alignment is indicated on the Transportation Network map in the proposed 2005 OCP.

The Fremont Connector alignment is discussed in more detail below.

The Fremont Connector Alignment and Council Resolution
Fremont Connector - Alignment Option 2 - 2005The Fremont Connector alignment is conceptual only. Until detailed design is undertaken, as it has been done with the Coast Meridian Overpass, the final alignment will not be determined. The trigger for construction of the Fremont Connector rests for a large part upon the final stages of construction of Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain. Initial stages of construction are just starting at the western edges and final stages are projected for post 2020, which is beyond the next OCP review. In addition, as parts of the alignment are within the jurisdiction of the City of Coquitlam and the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), cooperation between all the three agencies will be necessary to determine the final routing.

The two conceptual alignments for the Fremont Connector presented on the Transportation Network map in the 2005 OCP represent the most viable routes given the information available at present and are supported by Coquitlam and the ALC. They do not differ significantly from the accepted route presented in the 1986 and 1993 OCPs, and the 1998 MTP.

At the June 15th, 2005 Public Hearing, Council heard from a number of local residents living in the north-east part of the City with respect to the potential adverse impacts of locating the Fremont Connector road in close proximity to their houses. In order to address these concerns, as part of the approval of the 2005 OCP, Council also adopted a resolution on the Fremont Connector Alignment. The resolution recognizes that, as the section of the proposed Fremont Connector north of Riverside Drive is not expected to be required for at least 15 years, the alignments shown the OCP are conceptual only and a great deal more analysis, detail and consultation would be necessary prior to finalizing an alignment. This process will involve a comprehensive technical, environmental, social and economic evaluation, will be transparent, and will provide opportunities for both regulatory stakeholders and public consultation.
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What happens next?
The City will now begin work on an implementation strategy that will include amendments to City Bylaws such as the Zoning Bylaw as well as identification of strategies to address these new policy directions. Look for more information on the main OCP web page over the next several months.

Print copies of the 2005 OCP are available for viewing at the following locations:

  • Planning Division (City Hall Annex, #200 2564 Shaughnessy Street) Click here for map and directions.
  • Terry Fox Library (Reference Desk, 2470 Mary Hill Road) Click here for map and directions.

The  City is also producing copies of the 2005 OCP in print format and as a CD ROM. These will be available for purchase soon from the Planning Division. The 2005 OCP can also be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

The PoCoPlan process gave the public an important opportunity to provide input on how we will manage the growth and development of our community. The City would like to thank the PoCoPlan Task group and the hundreds of community members who have participated in the formation of this OCP.
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Reports, Media Releases and PocoPlan Archival Material
Many of the documents listed below are in Acrobat PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Check out our PDF Tips for more information. Please note that these are all achival material from the PocoPlan process.

Contact
Planning Division, Development Services Department
Tel 604.927.5442
Fax 604.927.5404
Email planning@portcoquitlam.ca

Location and Mailing Address
City Hall Annex (beside City Hall)
200-2564 Shaughnessy Street
Port Coquitlam, BC   V3C 3G4

Business Hours
8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays)

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