Parksville council has formally accepted the Regional District of Nanaimo’s updated regional growth strategy.
The proposed document titled ‘Shaping Our Future 2040’ sets out a long-term vision for sustainable land use planning for the region and received first and second reading by the RDN Board in December.
The strategy is a long-term plan that coordinates efforts to address regional land use challenges spanning multiple jurisdictions.
Issues like climate change, transportation and mobility, housing, economic development, and environmental protection are addressed, aiming to foster socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities, according to the RDN.
The strategy has seen more than two years of public engagement and the informal referral of the draft to the member municipalities, provincial departments and local First Nations in June 2023.
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Before the bylaw can be adopted by the RDN Board, each affected local government has been asked to consider ‘Shaping Our Future 2040’ and respond by resolution.
The region’s first regional growth strategy was adopted in 1997 to address the rapid population growth experienced in the late ’80s and early ’90s. This time period saw extensive land development to accommodate an influx of new residents. Subsequent reviews and updates occurred in 2003, 2008 and 2011, according to the RDN.
The draft bylaw can be viewed online at https://www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/RGSreview.
— NEWS Staff