Official Community Plan Amendment Application Process

The Applicant* (developer) submits their project documentation to the City. This documentation includes concept drawings, technical studies, a summary of how the project could benefit the community, and how the Applicant plans to engage with the community.

Who is involved at this step?

• The Applicant (developer) submits documentation to The City.

*The Applicant is the person or company that has a development project or their designate, for example, an architect. 

City staff review the project application, including all supporting documentation. City staff send the application to be reviewed by Council's Advisory Committees (for example, the Advisory Planning Commission, Advisory Design Panel, and/or Integrated Transportation Commission).

The Applicant (developer) is expected to lead community engagement, which should include notification in writing to residents within a 1 kilometre radius of the project, as well as a commitment to seeking feedback from organizations and residents online and in-person. This engagement process should include at least one Developer Information Session to ensure the community can learn about the project, ask questions and offer feedback. 

Who is involved at this step?

• The City reviews the application. 
• The City circulates the application to relevant government agencies and partners.
• The City’s Advisory Committees review the project application. 
• The Applicant (developer) engages with the community through online and in-person community engagement, which should include a Developer Information Session.
• The Applicant must notify local residents and relevant interest holder groups and organizations about the project and opportunities to provide feedback. 
• The Applicant will engage with relevant interest holder groups. 

The Applicant (developer) responds to any issues raised by City staff and through community engagement during step 2. Depending on the review and any issues that emerge, the Applicant may need to submit revised concept drawings and technical studies.

Once the concept is refined and updated, the Applicant (developer) is expected to lead additional community engagement to gather community feedback on the updated concept. This second round of engagement should also include written notification of the project to residents in the area, a range of in-person and online opportunities for input, and at least one Developer-led Presentation and Workshop, which is an open meeting facilitated by a third party (neither the City or the Applicant) and is intended to provide all interested parties an opportunity to learn about the project, ask questions and offer feedback in a public setting.  

At this stage, City staff also refer the application to relevant committees and interest groups where appropriate.  

Who is involved at this step?

• Advisory Committees are asked to provide additional commentary on the refined application. 
• The Applicant (developer) leads additional community engagement through a presentation and workshop facilitated by a third party, with a summary of the results provided to The City. 
• The Applicant will engage with relevant interest groups.
• The City will circulate the updated application to government agencies and partners per City policy.

The Applicant submits the final proposal to the City, and staff undertake a final review. This is when the application transitions into a formal proposal submitted to the City. At this stage, the City may recommend the Applicant completes additional community engagement prior to Council consideration, if required.

Once the final review has been completed, City staff prepare a report and draft bylaw for Council’s consideration.

Who is involved at this step?

• The Applicant submits the final proposal to the City.
• The City completes a final review and revision of the application and may recommend that The Applicant complete further community engagement.
• The City prepares a report and drafts a bylaw if they feel the proposal is complete.

The proposal is introduced to Council, and the OCP amendment application is referred to a Public Hearing. These hearings provide the community an opportunity to comment on and ask questions about the project, as well as address Council. For information on Public Hearings and how to sign up to speak, visit the City's Public Hearing & Meeting page.

The City issues public notices providing details and the date of the Public Hearing through mail-outs, the City's Public Notice page, site signage and newspaper notices. Within the notice period, community members can send written submissions offering their comments on the proposal to Council. These submissions will be included in the official Public Hearing record for consideration by Council. 

Following the Public Hearing, Council considers all submissions and comments received as part of the Public Hearing when making its final decision to approve or reject the proposal. In most cases, the final decision will be made on the same date as the Public Hearing.

Who is involved at this step?

• Council considers the report and draft bylaw through official readings, and decides whether to refer the application to a Public Hearing.   
• The Community provides feedback during the Public Hearing submission period. 
• Council conducts the Public Hearing, where The Community can address Council.  
• Council makes a decision.