Parksville Plan 2010 - A Vision for our Future

Type of initiative FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector Multi-sector (Plans)
Project value$270,000
Project Type Plan
Sub Sector Sustainable Communities
Grant amount$81,400
Program type GMF
Municipality City of Parksville, BC
Status Fully Disbursed
Population 13,642
Project timeline 2011 - 2013
Project number 10403

Description

The City of Parksville wishes to update its Official Community Plan (OCP) to address a number of sustainability issues such as smart growth, climate change, downtown revitalization, sustainable tourism, and shoreline protection. One of its main objectives is to create a well-serviced and sustainable downtown to serve its permanent population of 11,000 and its large transient tourist population of up to 9,000, recognizing the challenge of being situated close to a "big box" commercial hub in nearby Nanaimo.
The OCP will provide policies, goals and targets across a wide-range of sectors, including brownfields, energy, transportation, waste and water, which will be integrated across all departments and service areas within the City's operations. The process will be directed by a city-wide resident survey which received over 1,900 responses. As interest in participation on an OCP Advisory Committee is high, the City Council will appoint two committees — a Citizens Advisory Committee and a Community Advisory Committee — to represent a cross-section of local social, economic and environmental interests. Targets will be identified through a series of workshops, focus groups, a project team charette, a community open house, stakeholder meetings, and existing work such as the Sustainable Community Builders Checklist; and will be developed on a business model to facilitate monitoring and evaluation. Parksville has experience with this approach through its AquaStar water conservation initiative.
The OCP will be linked to the city's existing municipal plans and policies and to the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Regional Growth Strategy, which is also undergoing a review and update. The outcome will be a comprehensive OCP, with maps, schedules, clear and concise policy content, development permit guidelines, and sustainability targets.
(Project description from original funding application)

Applicant

City of Parksville, BC