Surrey and Delta begin processes to change their official community plans

Surrey City Centre (EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock)

The municipal governments of Surrey and Delta are the latest cities in Metro Vancouver to announce they are kicking off their process to overhaul their respective Official Community Plan (OCP).

Both cities are expected to introduce strategies that add residential density to help improve housing affordability in alignment with the provincial government’s various new legislations relating to housing supply, including the Housing Supply Act, transit-oriented development, and enabling more homes on single-family lots.

The forthcoming major changes to each city’s OCP will also address business and economic growth, transportation, public spaces and amenities, and other considerations.

Surrey’s OCP is 10 years old, but Delta’s OCP dates back to 1985. However, under the provincial government’s new legislation, municipal governments must regularly update their community plans to better account for and reflect on changing needs.

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Delta is among the first 10 cities under the Housing Supply Act, while Surrey is among the list of cities that will eventually be covered under the legislation.

“We are excited to start the process of updating our Official Community Plan that will support Surrey’s growth while keeping a thriving, green and inclusive community. Upon completion, the OCP will be a major document that will shape the vision, objectives and policies of Surrey for the next decade,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke in a statement.

For the considerations of his jurisdiction’s separate process, Delta Mayor George Harvie said, “As mandated by the province, Delta is updating its OCP to ensure we achieve our provincial housing target and build in areas where infrastructure supports more density. I encourage residents to learn more about provincial requirements, housing needs, and our vision for sustainable growth.”

Both cities began their preliminary public consultation process this month.

Over the past few months since the series of major policies were rolled out, some municipalities, such as Coquitlam and Burnaby, have expressed some hesitancy over adopting the provincial government’s legislated measures, including concerns over potential unintended impacts. Some municipalities have also indicated they will cancel or reverse course on recently implemented policies or policy proposals that are in the works.

“The provincial legislative updates, aimed at improving housing affordability and delivering more homes throughout British Columbia, could significantly affect a number of long-standing and successful housing affordability initiatives already in place in Coquitlam,” reads a City of Coquitlam news release this month.

“Coquitlam is still navigating the changes imposed by the Provincial Government and is concerned that the legislated housing mandate may cause developers to pause or delay applications currently in progress, which may challenge the City’s ability to meet the housing supply growth target set by CHMC. It is also expected that significant staff time – in particular over the next six months – will be allocated to meet the timelines mandated by the provincial changes, which may impact the Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan.

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