Chamber calls for business-centric approach in developing the OCP

The organization that represents local businesses has some input as the City of Vernon revises its Official Community Plan.

As part of its process in re-writing the plan (OCP), the city has been accepting input from members of the public, and the Greater Vernon Chamber has put out a call for the plan to include a business-centric, phased approach that “reflects the voice of local businesses, non-profits, and entrepreneurs during a time of economic uncertainty.”

The Chamber engaged with the public in its own survey that collected responses from 153 people and identified several key areas of focus with related recommendations to be considered in the OCP.

• Integrated transportation and land use
  • Adopt an incremental approach to land use regulations
  • Consider decoupling the OCP process from the preparation of the Transportation Plan
  • Implement Bills 44 and 47 (Housing Statutes) and related provincial regulatory requirements in the OCP planning cycle
  • Focus investments and request for service upgrades to B.C. Transit based on community need for access to commercial areas for work and shopping
  • Ensure an adequate supply of parking to serve customers
  • Seek community feedback on the municipal parking system and explore options for improvement
• Commercial, industrial and residential land development
  • Support mixed-use commercial and residential developments in key areas
  • Continue to streamline the regulatory processes for permits, licensing and development to reduce barriers and ensure new housing and businesses can be built
  • Create a robust Redevelopment Policy to guide how sites are developed in key areas
  • Create a robust Community Amenity Contribution Policy to ensure new development pays its fair share of implementing the existing and incoming Neighbourhood Plans and that they reach their full expression in the community
  • Ensure the current Economic Impact Study findings be integrated into zoning bylaws and the new OCP land designations, polices, and development permit guidelines
  • Implement the Housing Action Plan to increase the availability of affordable housing
• City support for local businesses
  • Expand resources and funding to the city’s Economic Development Department to address concerns and attract new investments
  • Explore best practices for municipal programming to support “Buy Local” initiatives
  • Ensure the city is using a “best-in-class” sustainable and social procurement policy that allows local companies to be part of the contracting process for local projects
  • Promote ongoing dialogue and collaborative partnerships between the city, businesses and non-profits to fully understand challenges and come up with solutions
  • Partner with local educational institutions to address workforce skill gaps
• Tourism development
  • Ensure the revised OCP prioritizes tourism investments in key areas
  • Continue to support tourism-related businesses with investments in year-round destination marketing
  • Reintroduce a permanent, year-round tourism information Visitor Centre
  • Invest in a Conference Centre
  • Enhance financial support for recreational facility user groups and provide incentives for the creation of more multi-use spaces for events, festivals and markets
  • Work with partners to facilitate tourism training programs