Whistler's 16-year-old official community plan is up for review as soon as the Olympics wind-down next spring, although the lengthy process will likely start as early as this fall.
Mike Vance, general manager of policy and special projects for the municipality, said this week depending on how much staff time the Olympics take up, the municipality is prepared to start looking at the OCP this fall.
"I think we should be making announcements in the fall, and beginning a soft engagement process," said Vance. "It really depends on the demand that the Games put on staff... We won't be pushing the review until post-Games."
Whistler's official community plan dictates how land in the resort municipality may be used.
The plan was last updated in 1993. Since that time, the Whistler 2020 strategy was been formed, and this will affect the review-process, Vance said.
"I think the advantage we have now is we have the Whistler 2020 process and all the task forces and all that input leading into this," said Vance. "I think there is more of a strong understanding of where we need to be in 10 and 15 years from now."
Public consultation sessions will determine what issues the municipality will focus on during the community plan review, said Vance.
He added, issues which will likely be addressed include what the role of Function Junction is, how does commercial zoning fit in, and what should the amount of nightly accommodation be.
"We will be holding some forums on what is important to the community, and we will look at those issues based on public comment," he said.
The entire community plan and Whistler 2020 review process will take about 18 months. Whistler 2020 will be up for review first because it is Whistler's overarching policy document, said the general manager who has been involved with all of Whistler's official community plans.
