The Official Plan (OP) for the municipality must be reviewed and, where necessary, revised every five years. The present OP was last reviewed and updated in 2014.

Marie-Ève Bélanger, Clarence-Rockland Development Manager, presented the schedule and guidelines for the current OP review during a special session of council, January 15. Provincial municipal planning regulations demand that every community or regional OP undergo regular review and revision.

The planning consultant firm, J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. is assisting the city’s planning department. City staff and their planning department counterparts met, during November 2019, with the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, to examine possible areas of the city’s OP that might need revision as part of the overall regional OP.

The main goal of the current OP review for Clarence-Rockland is to update the Urban Area portion of the plan, dealing with land use based on current trends, and also allow for new provincial land use planning restrictions or revisions. Issues related to sustainable development and environmental protection, guided planning to allow for future population growth within the municipality, affordable housing, and transportation demands will also be part of the review process.

City planning staff will now review and identify issues that the revised OP must address. A public consultation schedule will include an open house in March for local developers and interested members of the public. The goal is to have the final revised OP ready for council approval in May.