Victoria is right now going through the process of developing a new Official Community Plan, but how well have the past plans been followed? I know of several commitments in the last two Victoria OCPs that have not been done to date. Who is held responsible for this? How do you enforce it?
It seems the only enforceable part of an OCP is to stop things from happening. A good example of this is the use of the OCP in Central Saanich to get in the way of long term viable farming. The Vantreights came up with a unique way to reduce the debts they have on the farm, but it requires a small piece of land to be developed, land that is not farmed and has never been classified as agricultural land. What stands in there way is people insisting on the specific maps and not on the intent of the to OCP to protect green space and farming.
Much too much energy is spent on developing plans that do not end up being used. In my neighbourhood there as a plan for improvements to Harriet and Burnside, some five years later and nothing has happened.
I am raising all this because I am debating how much energy I should put into the Victoria OCP process. I am also concerned that this region is in danger of losing one of few functional commercial farms because of an OCP is applied.
Do I go ahead? Maybe I should just invite a bunch of you over for dinner and have us all talk Victoria OCP stuff. Interested?
1 comment:
Dinner? Anytime Bernard.
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