Agenda Package - City of Vernon

THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF VERNON
2008 Annual Report
PTANNING AND BUITDING SERVICES
planning and Building Services is responsible for the implementation of municipal bylaws and policies
related to the planning and susta¡nable grourth of the community. The Division strives to foster a
positive public attitude towards planning and the City's approach to growth management, and actively
engages the community in the development of neighbourhood plans and other initiatives.
The primary responsibilities of the Division include land use planning and related policy development;
building permit and inspection services; subdivision, rezoning and development permit applications;
environmental planning; community outreach and transportation demand management initiatives. The
Division works with all City departments and regional partners in the delivery of these services.
Highlights from 2fXl8
o The City's new Official Community Plan was adopted after two and a half years of extensive
community participation and consultation. Significant departmental resources were allocated to
this process throughout 2007 and 2008. W¡th an original three year project budget of 5548,500,
the project came in under budget at 5464,000.
o Development act¡v¡ty was very strong with the City recording 5169 million in building permit
values, the highest in its history. 424 building permits were issued in 2008, over half of which
were for single family homes. However, it is noted that there were slightly more multiple family
units constructed (182) than single family units (148) during the year.
o The Environmental Management Areas Strategy, which protects highly sensitive ecosystems ¡n
the development process, was adopted.
o The Environmental Development Review Group was implemented to coordinate approvals from
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Ministry of the Environment with the City development
approval process.
o Community stewardship events including Earth Day, Rivers Day and the Commuter Challenge
were all initiated during 2008. These are annual events held in partnership with community
groups, agencies, businesses and other stakeholders.
¡ The Planning, Development and Engineering Services Division was restructured to create a
Planning and Building Division and an Engineering Division. Planning and Engineering were
subsequently relocated to a building near City Hall, while Building remains at City Hall.
Outlook for 2009
With the adoption of the Official Community Plan, a number of policy initiatives must be undertaken in
2009 in order to support the new growth strategy. As there is expected to be a drop in development
activity arising from global economic circumstances, it is an ideal time to direct departmental resources
to policy development. The priority ¡mplementation items include:
¡ Development of neighbourhood plans for the City Centre District, Bella Vista West and
Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre.
¡ Development of policies regarding the annual consideration of Annexations, OCP Amendments
and ALR Exclusions.
23lP age
37