2040 Official Community Plan: Our Kelowna as we grow

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How our city looks and feels is shaped by our Official Community Plan (OCP), a high-level policy document that guides how and where we grow. In 2022, Kelowna is home to 138,500 residents, and by 2040, that population is expected to grow by more than 45,000 citizens. This growth will bring both opportunities and challenges and strategic planning is essential to ensure Kelowna can continue to be prosperous, vibrant and resilient in the years to come.

The 2040 OCP updated land uses, mapping and policies to reflect the community’s vision (as captured through Imagine Kelowna) and to clearly signal where development will be prioritized and supported with infrastructure and amenities. The OCP provides a policy framework for Council by addressing issues such as housing, transportation, infrastructure, parks, economic development and the natural and social environment.

On Monday, Sept. 20, City Council granted first reading to the 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), and on Tuesday, October 26 it passed second and third readings. The Plan then went to the Province for approval, and it was adopted by Council on Jan. 10, 2022.

The 2040 Official Community Plan was adopted on Jan. 10, 2022.

Public Engagement

The plan was shaped by a series of engagement opportunities, beginning with the development of our community vision, Imagine Kelowna. The final phase of OCP engagement built on earlier dialogue with the public and explored a range of topics specific to how our community will grow. We asked residents to share their feedback and help bring our community's vision of a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive Kelowna to life.

The engagement and information process around the 2040 Official Community Plan update began in February 2018 and concluded in March 2021.  Engagement activities were coordinated with the Transportation Master Plan update to ensure public outreach was strategically aligned. 

Thank you for your participation!

How our city looks and feels is shaped by our Official Community Plan (OCP), a high-level policy document that guides how and where we grow. In 2022, Kelowna is home to 138,500 residents, and by 2040, that population is expected to grow by more than 45,000 citizens. This growth will bring both opportunities and challenges and strategic planning is essential to ensure Kelowna can continue to be prosperous, vibrant and resilient in the years to come.

The 2040 OCP updated land uses, mapping and policies to reflect the community’s vision (as captured through Imagine Kelowna) and to clearly signal where development will be prioritized and supported with infrastructure and amenities. The OCP provides a policy framework for Council by addressing issues such as housing, transportation, infrastructure, parks, economic development and the natural and social environment.

On Monday, Sept. 20, City Council granted first reading to the 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), and on Tuesday, October 26 it passed second and third readings. The Plan then went to the Province for approval, and it was adopted by Council on Jan. 10, 2022.

The 2040 Official Community Plan was adopted on Jan. 10, 2022.

Public Engagement

The plan was shaped by a series of engagement opportunities, beginning with the development of our community vision, Imagine Kelowna. The final phase of OCP engagement built on earlier dialogue with the public and explored a range of topics specific to how our community will grow. We asked residents to share their feedback and help bring our community's vision of a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive Kelowna to life.

The engagement and information process around the 2040 Official Community Plan update began in February 2018 and concluded in March 2021.  Engagement activities were coordinated with the Transportation Master Plan update to ensure public outreach was strategically aligned. 

Thank you for your participation!

  • Vision into action: 2040 plans adopted and endorsed

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    Following a shared, multi-year community engagement process, the 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP) and 2040 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) have been adopted and endorsed.

    Working together, the two plans will help achieve the vibrant, sustainable and inclusive future residents envisioned through the creation of our city’s Imagine Kelowna community vision. Thousands of residents participated in the development of Imagine Kelowna, the OCP, and TMP and helped establish the priorities for how we will grow and move over the next two decades.

    “Developing the TMP alongside the OCP has truly been a collaborative and community-driven effort,” said Mariah VanZerr, Strategic Transportation Planning Manager, “The engagement we have received from the public directly shaped both plans.”

    “The implementation of these plans marks a historic milestone for Kelowna which brings us one step closer to realizing the full potential of our community vision,” said Danielle-Noble Brandt, Policy & Planning Department Manager. “People from every corner of the community came together to create a bold direction for the future of our beautiful city and now we are able to put it into action.”

    The 2040 OCP provides a policy framework for Council by addressing issues such as housing, transportation, infrastructure, parks, economic development and the natural and social environment. It sets the course for how Kelowna should grow over the next 20 years, prioritizing areas, decisions and policies citizens have asked the City to focus on.

    The 2040 TMP sets the direction for a vibrant city where people and places are conveniently connected by diverse transportation options. It is a long-term plan for transportation improvements that will help keep Kelowna moving, now and into the future.

    The OCP and TMP were developed in close coordination with other long-range plans, like the 20-Year Servicing Plan and Regional Transportation Plan. The OCP was adopted on January 10 with the TMP’s endorsement following suit on Jan. 24.

    Discover how these two plans help guide us to 2040 through an interactive story, highlighting how Kelowna will grow, move and thrive over the next 20 years. For more information about the 2040 Official Community Plan, visit kelowna.ca/2040OCP. For the 2040 Transportation Master Plan, visit kelowna.ca/2040TMP.

  • 2040 OCP set for public hearing

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    The development of the 2040 Official Community Plan has been a multi-year process bringing diverse people and perspectives together to shape the next 20 years for our city. On Sept. 13, it moved on step closer to completion as Council granted the plan first reading. The 2040 OCP now moves to Public Hearing on Oct. 26 for further consideration with adoption expected to follow later this year.

    As the process winds to a close, Policy and Planning Manager Danielle Noble-Brandt reflects on the journey to date and picks up where we last left off with a young resident who spoke at the public hearing for Imagine Kelowna, the vision that sets the foundation for the OCP. Read the full story here.

    To learn more about how to participate in the public hearing, visit kelowna.ca/council

  • Results are in! Find out what Kelowna said about the draft 2040 Official Community Plan

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    Following a widespread, multi-year engagement process, the results of the fourth phase of public engagement on the City's draft 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP) were presented to Council on May 31.

    The draft 2040 OCP was shared with the public for feedback in early 2021. Building on earlier phases of engagement, Phase 4 took place over the course of several months and was aimed at reviewing the Plan's key directions.

    Next steps in the OCP process will focus on Plan refinements and the revised draft will presented to Council for their consideration later this year. Council will then decide to initiate the bylaw reading process, public hearing, and final approval.

    The OCP is updated every 10 years to reflect the goals laid out in our community vision and includes revised land uses, mapping and policies that show where development, and corresponding infrastructure and amenities, will be supported over the next two decades.

    Read the full engagement summary report or watch the presentation to Council here.

Page last updated: 06 Apr 2022, 03:34 PM