Work will soon begin on a new planning process for the Toby Benches area in the Columbia Valley.

“The Toby Benches Land Use Strategy is the Regional District of East Kootenay’s oldest land use plan and will be replaced by a new Official Community Plan,” explained RDEK Electoral Area G Director Gerry Wilkie. “Land use issues change over time. It’s important that the residents of the Toby Benches have a Plan that is based on current information and reflects their vision for the future.”

One of the first steps in the OCP process will be encouraging the community to get involved.

“The community is a key part of the process. We want the final Plan to reflect the community’s vision, and we need community participation to make sure that happens. I encourage the residents of the Toby Benches to get involved and be engaged every step of the way,” added RDEK Electoral Area F Director Wendy Booth.

There will be workshops and information meetings, questionnaires and newsletters as part of the planning process, which is expected to take about 13 months to complete. A mail-out and introductory meeting will be held this spring.

An Official Community Plan (OCP) is a long-term strategic planning document that reflects the community’s vision for the future while providing a policy framework to promote greater certainty in land use decision making by the regional district board.

More information about the Toby Benches Official Community Plan process will appear on the RDEK website at www.rdek.bc.ca in the near future.

RDEK

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