District of New Hazelton Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 322, 2016 New Hazelton Official Community Plan SCHEDULE B Official Community Plan District of New Hazelton Bylaw No. 322, 2016 District of New Hazelton 3026 Bowser St, New Hazelton BC Canada V0J 2J0 [email protected] Tel: 250-842-6571 | Fax: 250-842-6077 4 New Hazelton Official Community Plan Table of Contents What is the Official Community Plan? ____________________________________________________ 6 Public Consultation ___________________________________________________________________ 7 Community Values ___________________________________________________________________ 7 PART I – VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES ____________________________________________________ 8 COMMUNITY VISION ______________________________________________________________________ 8 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ______________________________________________________________________ 9 New Hazelton’s “Thriveability” _________________________________________________________ 9 Sustainability in New Hazelton _________________________________________________________ 9 Environment Stewardship _____________________________________________________________ 9 Economic Diversification _____________________________________________________________ 10 Arts, Leisure and Recreation __________________________________________________________ 10 The Hazeltons ______________________________________________________________________ 10 Historical Significance _______________________________________________________________ 11 Aging Population ___________________________________________________________________ 11 Climate Change and Environmental Awareness and Conservation ____________________________ 11 Bear Smart ________________________________________________________________________ 12 Population and Demographics _________________________________________________________ 13 Regional Context ___________________________________________________________________ 13 Preserving New Hazelton’s Character ___________________________________________________ 14 PART II – THE PLAN _____________________________________________________________ 15 Economy __________________________________________________________________________ 15 Energy ____________________________________________________________________________ 17 Economic Development ______________________________________________________________ 19 Agriculture and Food Security _________________________________________________________ 20 Health and Quality of Life ____________________________________________________________ 22 Housing ___________________________________________________________________________ 23 Arts and Culture ____________________________________________________________________ 24 Infrastructure, Transportation and Utilities ______________________________________________ 25 Community Water and Sewer Services __________________________________________________ 27 Environment _______________________________________________________________________ 28 Leisure/Recreation/Education Services and Facilities ______________________________________ 29 Solid Waste Management ____________________________________________________________ 31 Parks and Trails _____________________________________________________________________ 31 LAND USE DESIGNATIONS ________________________________________________________ 32 Residential Lands ___________________________________________________________________ 32 Rural Residential ____________________________________________________________________ 34 Commercial ________________________________________________________________________ 35 Industrial Development ______________________________________________________________ 36 Rural Resource _____________________________________________________________________ 38 PART III – IMPLEMENTATION _____________________________________________________ 40 PART IV - DEFINTION OF TERMS ___________________________________________________ 43 5 New Hazelton Official Community Plan PREFACE What is the Official Community Plan? To help guide the future of municipalities in British Columbia, the Provincial Government authorizes municipalities to adopt Official Community Plans (OCP’s). “An Official Community Plan is a statement of objectives and policies to guide decisions on planning and land‐use management, within the area covered by the plan, respecting the purposes of local government.” (Local Government Act S.875.1). In summary, an OCP provides a framework to guide many parts of a larger whole, the community. The components involved in a community plan include: • Character of existing and proposed land use and the servicing requirements for the area; • Guidance for economic, environmental, physical design and development and social considerations; • Direction for quality of life, health and well‐being; • Future growth and housing needs; • Community energy auditing and management; • Transportation network and strategy; • Community development; and • Provision of amenities and services. An effective OCP results in: • A level of certainty to residents and landowners regarding the location and nature of change in the community; • Council, staff and citizens use the OCP to help make strategic decisions towards a long‐term goal; and • A road‐map to guide zoning and subsequent implementation practices. The current OCP has been in place since 1988. Community plans are typically reviewed at least once every 5 years to assess whether the goals and objectives and subsequent policy directions remain valid. An OCP is intended to be a flexible policy document in order to meet the changing needs of a community. The OCP is a living document and should recognize patterns and be proactive to new trends within society and respond to changing circumstances within the planning area boundaries. As such, following careful consideration by Council, policies and land use designations in an OCP may be revised through adoption of an amending bylaw following the provisions outlined within the Local Government Act. 6 New Hazelton Official Community Plan Once an OCP is adopted as a bylaw, the Community Plan becomes “official”, and all future land use decisions made by Council must be consistent with the objectives and policies outlined in the Plan. Public Consultation The District of New Hazelton initiated the OCP process in September of 2009. The public consultation process involved residents, landowners and stakeholders in the District of New Hazelton over the course of late 2009 and the beginning of 2010. The process involved consultation with various stakeholders, an open house, planning sessions with council and a district wide survey. Community Values The OCP process identified important community values. Residents, landowners and stakeholders throughout the public process consistently voiced these underlying principles. These values provide insight into those aspects of the community that should be maintained and enhanced as growth and development occurs. The District of New Hazelton community values include: • Promote and encourage business and economic development in New Hazelton; • Beautify and improve the appearance of New Hazelton; • Develop recreational trails and facilities; • Encourage the development of elderly and disabled friendly spaces; and • Build a sense of community through community events and supporting community organizations. 7 New Hazelton Official Community Plan PART I – VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES COMMUNITY VISION The people of New Hazelton are proud of their community and its natural setting. New Hazelton’s friendly people, diversity of culture, history, character, working class roots and small town atmosphere make it very attractive for people to visit and call home. New Hazelton is a great place for families, children, seniors and others who appreciate a quiet, less complicated lifestyle with the amenities of a complete, yet sustainable community. New Hazelton is a small rural town surrounded by natural forests and water. The community is a safe, inviting place to live, linked to surrounding communities by highways and rail. The community creates shared sustainable economic development through a resilient economy. The existence of a variety of housing types in conjunction with affordable housing has attracted a wide variety of people. New Hazelton has a friendly development environment, which respects the character and sense of place of the community. 8 New Hazelton Official Community Plan GUIDING PRINCIPLES New Hazelton’s “Thriveability” New Hazelton promotes its “thriveability”, safety and healthy community status through the following: 1. Support of the provision of health care, social services, education and daily living requirements; 2. Support a wide range of recreational, social and cultural opportunities; 3. Allow people to “age in place”; 4. Encourage opportunities for social support networks; 5. Support community-centred health, such as childcare and social services, youth services and activities (recreational and sports programs); 6. Utilize the social determinants of health as benchmarks to gauge success to achieve good health outcomes for community members; 7. Embrace change but retain New Hazelton’s unique historic, social and cultural ‘rural’ character; and 8. Promote and support affordable housing for a variety of ages and financial capacities. Sustainability in New Hazelton New Hazelton is committed to meeting its present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their