On Monday Dec 9, there will be a joint session of the Planning Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. City planning staff will present preliminary policy direction for the new Official Plan.
The last time the new Official Plan process was discussed in committee was in August, when staff introduced the Five Big Moves. On Monday, more will be heard about preliminary policy directions that would be the basis for the draft Official Plan to be tabled in October 2020.
The proposed directions are grouped under six themes: growth management, energy and climate mitigation, climate resiliency, transportation and mobility, economic development, and transect. That last category is about establishing a framework of five so-called transect areas –the downtown core, inner urban area, outer urban area, rural area, and Greenbelt – so policies could then be tailored to better address neighbourhood context in each.
The October 2020 draft Official Plan will account for recommended population, household and employment projections that also need approval. Staff have worked to ensure both the growth projections and preliminary policy directions are consistent with the existing Provincial Policy Statement as well as the draft statement the Province issued earlier in 2019.
The meeting is scheduled to start at noon on Monday, December 9 in Council Chambers, should you choose to o join committee members for the discussion.
