All communities of Williams Lake are invited to give feedback on the city’s future development in a drop–in event at City Hall.
The City of Williams Lake will launch its 2025–2050 Official Community Plan(OCP) and Zoning Bylaw update in an event on Thursday, April 24, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Attendees will be able to see information, talk, and ask questions to members of OCP project team. They will also be able to share their feedback and priorities on the city’s development and growth for the next 25 years.
“This is a significant opportunity for our community to come together and envision the future of Williams Lake,” said Mayor Surinderpal Rathor, via media release. “We encourage everyone to participate and contribute their ideas and help shape a sustainable and vibrant city.
A key focus of the new OCP is to address the community’s housing needs. Williams Lake is need of an estimated 1,547 housing units over the next 20 years.
“ The city has some ideas about where we can put that housing, but currently they’re in spaces where we have park designations,” says Beth Veenkamp, Manager of Economic Development for the City. “The document will identify new areas that might be undeveloped or underdeveloped, so we’re asking residents to help us with the unique views of all of our community so that we’re coming up with a document that works for everybody.”
The OCP’s aim is to also provide guidance and gain feedback on projects that support sustainablithy and liveabilty. The City’s vision for an Active Transportation Network, and other community priorities such as parks and recreation, environmental protection, and social well–being will be on display as well.
A new Zoning Bylaw update will accompnay the new OCP. Veenkamp says the update will allow the City to view and set new regulations of land use.
“This gives us the opportunity to reshuffle the deck of where we think the highest and best use for different kinds of development are going to be. Parks are a really critical part of a community and the livability. We’ve gotta use land for its highest and best use, and put zoning in place that features those specific things that the community is telling us they want to see.”
The City of Williams Lake is also launching an online survey that can be taken starting from April 22 to May 23. The survey is called the ‘Williams Lake 2050 OCP Survey’ can be found online on the City’s website.
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