Delta is putting some pictures to all the words about the coming changes to its Official Community Plan (OCP) that will allow the city to meet provincial growth targets.
Maps and brochures have been mailed out to residents, the letstalk.delta.ca/housingourfuture web portal is up and running and answering residents’ questions, and six open houses are set for the first two weeks of March.
“Given the provincial mandate to build more housing, we know Delta is growing beyond the current supply of homes,” Mayor George Harvie said in a news release.
He said the public outreach efforts are aimed at ensuring people understand the proposed growth areas, and so that residents can provide feedback. Deadline for the updating of the OCP is June 30.
“This input is crucial for planning our community’s future vibrancy and livability,” Harvie said.
The province announced last September housing targets for 10 cities in B.C. in order to cope with population growth.
Delta was one of those 10 and will have to build 3,607 new homes within five years.
Planning staff unveiled three draft land-use maps at a briefing Tuesday morning in city hall. The maps cover North Delta, Ladner, Tsawwassen.
In Tsawwassen, the highest density will be centred on 56th Street and 12th Avenue, while areas farther north along 56th Street will be a walkable places with a mix of retail and residential units.
Areas outside the 56th Street corridor, mainly single-family homes, are considered small-scale residential and would allow secondary suites, coach homes and garden suites, or up to four units per lot. Parking rules would require one parking space per unit but no parking spaces required for small studio suites or any units within 400 metres of a RapidBus stop.
But staff said that given the costs of construction, rapid changes of single-family home areas isn’t expected.
In Ladner, an “urban centre” is identified for Ladner Village with mixed use areas next to transit, shops and services.
However, along Ladner Trunk Road, neighbourhood centres and corridors and mixed used areas are proposed from Arthur Drive to 57th Street.
The areas were identified in previous reviews of transportation and utilities infrastructure.
“These maps illustrate Delta’s growth trajectory showcasing the evolution of multi-family housing along major transportation routes and commercial hubs, as well as the preservation of agricultural, industrial and conservation lands,” said Doreann Mayhew, the city’s general manager of development. “We really want to encourage residents to come out and provide their feedback.”
She said that engineering has previously reviewed the areas to ensure that infrastructure such as water and sewer can handle the growth.
The six open houses are:
* March 5, Online information session, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
* March 6, Open house: 6 to 8 p.m., North Delta rec centre
* March 7, Open house: 6 to 8 p.m., South Delta rec centre
* March 9, Open house: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ladner Community Centre
* March 12, Online information session, (Punjabi) 6 to 7:30 p.m.
* March 14, Open house, 6 to 8 p.m. North Delta Centre for the Arts
