Ladner Village will have a new Official Community Plan.
Council last week approved a $124,000 contract for a consultant to help with engagement and planning to update the OCP for the village, last updated nine years ago with not much having changed since.
The consultant will prepare a Ladner Village land use plan with design guidelines as well as undertake an evaluation of the South Delta Revitalization Tax Exemption program, all of which were identified as key actions by the Ladner Village Renewal Advisory Committee.
Community planning director Marcy Sangret said issues to be explored include building design and building heights as well as other aspects of the renewal committee’s recommendations.
The first phase is to be completed this spring with a final report to council this fall.
When the OCP for the village and harbour was updated in 2012, several changes were made including proposed new building heights following a public hearing where a number of Ladner residents spoke in opposition, conveying concern about density.
At the first meeting of the Ladner Village Renewal Advisory Committee in 2019, city councillor and committee chair Bruce McDonald said he was disappointed when council backed off approving the proposed changes to encourage redevelopment.
His committee submitted its final report with a series of recommendations last year.
Council earlier this month approved a separate contract of almost $180,000 for a consultant team to help shape the Ladner Waterfront Public Lands Development Strategy and Chisholm Street Reconfiguration project, a site redevelopment strategy and concept for the revitalization of Delta-owned lands along the waterfront at Chisholm Street.
It was also one of the key recommendations by the Ladner Village Renewal Advisory Committee.
The primary focus will be the former Seven Seas site and Spot on the Water Park, along with developing options to reconfigure Chisholm Street and allow for future dike raising along the entire length of the street.
The renewal committee recommended commissioning the study to further examine options including narrowing Chisholm Street and converting it to a one-way street as well as adding the portion of the unused right-of-way to upland parcels to increase the developable area of lots on the north side.
