Have your say on Revelstoke’s future at upcoming public hearing

Residents will be given the chance to have their say on the long-term vision of Revelstoke at the public hearing for the Official Community Plan (OCP) coming up on July 26.

The public hearing will be held electronically at 3 p.m., giving people the option to attend the hearing electronically, by phone, or by submitting documents for council to view.

The OCP is a document that will provide direction over the next decade and beyond to plan and contribute insight to decisions on land use, development, and services, based on what those employed by the city deem as community values and priorities. Going forward, all bylaws or works must be consistent with the plan.

The document will be used to tackle important community issues like residential development, according to perceived housing needs, land uses and restrictions.

The city has been working on completing an update to the OCP since 2019. According to a report from city staff, the plan includes 113 action items to ensure the policy is followed, with over 1100 volunteer hours committed to engagement in the OCP project.

The total budget for the creation of the document is $419,490, with $182,040 externally funded. Staff anticipates the project to come in on budget by the time of its completion.

Council and staff agreed that holding a public hearing in the middle of the summer was “not ideal,” but it gives city staff time to make amendments to the OCP if council decides it necessary after hearing from the public to be completed by the fall.

At a meeting on July 12, Counc. Nicole Cherlet called the OCP a “living document” and city staff will check back in and track its progress.

Written submissions for council’s consideration can be sent to publichearings@revelstoke.ca.

To prepare for the public hearing, any person wishing to view hard copies of documents related to the OCP may view them at the Development Services office located at 216 Mackenzie Avenue on July 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25 and 26 during office hours.

For more details on how to participate in the public hearing, visit www.revelstoke.ca/publichearings.

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