91原创 Township is getting ready to revamp the Official Community Plan that covers development and growth across the entire community, in the wake of provincial changes to housing density rules.
A series of open houses will be held starting in early May, each one focused on a different neighbourhood or area of the Township.
The open houses are:
鈥� Aldergrove/rural on Tuesday, May 6, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Aldergrove Athletic Park Rotary Field House, 26845 27 Ave.
鈥� Fort 91原创/Walnut Grove on Thursday, May 8, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at West 91原创 Hall, 9400 208 St.
鈥� Willoughby/Willowbrook on Monday, May 12, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at 91原创 Events Centre banquet hall, 7888 200 St.
鈥� Brookswood-Fernridge/Murrayville on Tuesday, May 14, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at George Preston Recreation Centre, 20699 42 Ave.
Official Community Plans (OCPs) guide how the community as a whole develops, including aspects like density of housing. There are OCPs for each major neighbourhood of 91原创 Township, as well as for the entire municipality.
The first OCP was adopted in 1979, and the last major update of the plan was nine years ago, in 2016.
While land use is a major component, OCPs also address issues like roads and transportation, parks, and even social policies and the environment.
The update this time is, in part, responding to sweeping new housing legislation passed by the provincial government in 2024. Among other things, that legislation mandated higher densities near major transit hubs, and largely eliminated single-family housing for most urban and suburban areas that are serviced by sewer and water.
That means that in neighbourhoods like Walnut Grove and Murrayville, triplexes or fourplexes (known as small-scale multi-unit housing, or SSMUHs) are now allowed on lots that were formerly zoned for single-family homes only.
The Township has already updated other neighbourhood plans in response to the changes, notably revamping the Brookswood OCP last year.
The upcoming OCP update will look at updating to accommodate SSMUHs and other housing options now available, transit-oriented development, as well as climate action and improved resilience to natural hazards like atmospheric rivers and flooding.
The OCP planning process will hear from the public at open houses, and the final OCP has to be passed by a vote of council. Council will also take into account info from technical experts, growth forecasts, and feedback from businesses and other stakeholders.
