Langford wants more public input, as OCP overhaul moves through second phase

Regional official community plans (OCPs) all have shelf lives. In the Westshore, some have been extended longer than others. For a region changing quickly due to rapid population growth and the potential impacts of climate events, plans have to be updated. Though a phased approach informed by a participatory approach, the city of Langford is doing just that.

 An OCP is the primary legislative tool guiding municipal decision-making and policy. All municipal bylaws, plans and regulations must be consistent with individual OCPs. Colwood’s, published in 2018 and amended in 2022, is relatively “young.” Esquimalt’s original OCP was launched in 2007 but was overhauled in 2018. 

Langford’s rapid growth has accelerated its need to revisit its aging OCP, originally published in 2008. The “refresher plan” looks to answer how the city will manage a projected population of 110K—double the current population—over the next 15 to 20 years and manage its community’s housing, education, health, transportation and social needs. 

At the same time, the OCP’s “Made in Langford” mantra encompasses the idea that the city’s response to provincial legislation will reflect its unique aspirations and realities. 

The plan suggests that opportunities to strengthen its municipal brand lie in ongoing urban design plans, its focus on the city centre, transport options, the integration of urban nature and preservation, and amenities that staff and councillors hope will make their community “liveable and loveable.”

Phased plan has given residents multiple ways to be heard

In an ambitious three-phase plan, Langford is looking to clarify, strengthen, and rethink key aspects of city-building to better address its growing pains. The plan suggests it will represent “a turning point for the city.” Langford city staff compiled OCP-related data from Oct 2023 to Jan 2024 when Langford held its first public Q&A session.

During Phase I, 404 members of the community completed the online survey A Shared Vision for 100,000 and were given the opportunity to engage interactively with urban planning options by dropping pins (423 of them) in potential new housing locations and civil centres. 

Over the summer, the city held several public engagement events over consecutive days from July 18 to July 21, including a community fun day, an “At the Station” event, an event at the Goldstream Farmers’ Market and one at Music in the Park (Veteran’s Memorial Park). In August, the city held a second community fun day. At each of these events, people were invited to provide input on OCP content.

Mayor Scott Goodmanson told The Westshore “This approach ensured that they captured a diverse range of perspectives. Additionally, staff needed to translate the multiple community objectives into an accessible, engaging, and professional report, while aligning the ideas with new strategies and innovative approaches to city planning (the Ideas Paper).”

Some early take-aways: support for housing, green space, and more efficient growth 

A summary of the data collected and analyzed from its initial survey and public engagement interactions suggested that respondents wanted to see more parks, green space, and urban forests. Residents are hoping for support for housing—the area’s going to need at least 20k more houses according to its summary report—and community amenities, a proper downtown, better traffic management, and improved public transportation to Victoria. The summary suggested residents wanted to see more housing built around major transit corridors. 

At the top of the wish list for residents were mixed housing and more family-sized units, and the reduction of sprawl by increasing density in already developed areas

People are united on some fronts and contradictory on others, which makes satisfying all residents all of the time an obvious impossibility. But judging by the refresher efforts, it won’t be for a lack of trying. It’s a challenge for any council to please the public on every front.

Langford is a car city–94% get around by car, and yet 69% of respondents to the initial survey said they wanted more done to address the climate crisis. No one wants infrastructure costs to rise–84% of respondents said so. But at the same time they pointed to a lack of amenities in certain areas like Happy Valley, South Langford, Bear Mountain, in particular, calling for more grocery stores, health care and recreation facilities in these areas. 

Broad consultation was one of this term's main mandates

The first two phases of the refresh represent a comprehensive effort to hear what people have had to say about their city. This council was elected, in part, because many voters felt that the previous council was not consulting with them enough. But Goodmanson put credit where credit is due.

“While Council is always eager to listen to our residents, it’s important to note that the engagement process for the OCP refresh has been entirely staff-led. Our dedicated staff carefully designed an accessible and inclusive engagement approach to ensure we are truly connecting with our community,” he said.

A main goal of this second phase, the city says, is getting the early takeaways in front of people before a new draft OCP is created—allowing for public support and concerns to be incorporated sooner rather than later. Nearby Sooke is one of several local municipalities that have found fresh controversy blooming around an OCP once a draft is already made and begins moving into the final stages. 

The upcoming third phase of the OCP refresher promises to put the metrics it has to work and translate them into accountability measures– the policies and procedures that will transform the aspirational from the Ideas Paper to a fully revitalized OCP that, will drive it forward in practical and visionary ways.

Langford residents have two more days to respond to a second Let’s Talk survey. It will remain open until Nov. 20. 

For other Westshore mayors looking to update or refresh their own plans. Goodmanson has this advice “Don't be afraid to explore different ways of engaging with the public. We had great success with our face-to-face pop-ups and open houses, as not everyone has the ability to interact online. While surveys can provide valuable information, they do have a limited scope.”