Whistler Launching Official Community Plan Update

April 13, 2010... The Resort Municipality of Whistler is launching a year-long process to update its Official Community Plan (OCP). Whistler's Official Community Plan update, which was presented to Whistler Council April 6, will build on existing policy, and the updated OCP will provide a regulatory framework for the implementation of Whistler2020, Whistler's overarching community vision.

An Official Community Plan is a regulatory document required by the province's Local Government Act, which includes high-level plans and policies used to guide land use planning, social, economic, and environmental policies, and civic infrastructure investments. The Province recommends updating Official Community Plans every five years as a best practice.

Mike Vance, General Manager of Policy and Program Development, says, "Updating the Official Community Plan will align Whistler's regulatory document, the OCP, with Whistler's vision. We haven't updated the plan comprehensively in 17 years. Whistler has matured as a resort community and we have done much of the ground work developing new policy, which will be incorporated in the updated OCP, since then."  For example the OCP will bring together a range of strategies and reports, ranging from the Regional Growth Strategy and Carbon Neutral Plan to transportation, housing and financial documents, and many others.  The OCP will contain all of this work and the input provided this year in one overriding plan.

The 2010-2011 OCP update process will engage community input and ensure that Whistler's OCP reflects the community's priorities and protects the community's vision articulated in the Whistler2020 Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, as it moves forward.

The OCP update process will be led by RMOW staff, and the community will play a vital role in shaping the final document. An advisory group, comprised of five community members and one representative from each of the 15 Whistler2020 task forces, will be formed in the next month. Information will be provided to the community through regular updates on the website, Twitter, Facebook, and enewsletters. In addition, community members will have opportunities to provide input through open houses, community surveys, an Apres in Action session, and document review workshops.

More information about the OCP update process will be available in coming weeks.