A public information meeting took place at Pioneer Complex last week when the Cariboo Regional District welcomed comments and questions regarding a draft of the Williams Lake Fringe Area Official Community Plan.
Some of the topics that CRD Manager of Planning Services Rick Brundrige touched on were interface fire hazard, transportation and potential development areas.
He said that there are 214 possible lots, not on agricultural land reserve, on Fox Mountain and in the Wildwood area.
At the end of the presentation he opened the session up for questions.
“Have you done mapping of the aquifers on Fox Mountain to see if existing usage can be sustained?” one resident inquired.
Another question was in regards to walking trails. “Do you plan to work with MOT (Ministry of Transport) to create biking/walking trails along right-of-way roads on Fox Mountain?” someone asked.
Brundrige explained that questions and comments from the meeting would be entered and carefully considered.
He added that the OCP is a very important step for the CRD. “We have a lot of good stuff, but we can’t act on it with policy,” he said. “We’ll accept public comment right up until the official public hearing which will take place in the next few weeks.”
He said this process is all about the community. “We’ve spent a lot advertising this thing and we really want the public to get on board,” he continued. “It’s only as good as what the public comes back to us with.
This exercise is best with a lot of participation, so we really look forward to hearing more from the public.”
The public information meeting at Pioneer Complex was above and beyond what the CRD is required by law to provide, according to Brundrige. “We’re holding it so that we can head off some questions that may come up later at the public hearing, that may be more difficult to answer after the fact,” he added.
“Now we can prepare for the public hearing – prepare for questions that may arise, and make some notes about things that may need to be changed before it goes back to the board.”
For more information about the Williams Lake fringe area community plan, including contact information for questions or comment, visit the CRD website.