Official Community Plan

The City of Fernie's Official Community Plan (OCP) was updated and adopted by Council June 23, 2014. Committee volunteers, community organizations and an extensive public consultation process all played a big part to ensure the plan reflects our communities vision for the future.

The OCP provides a policy framework and implementation strategy for Council by addressing issues that impact the broader community; such as housing, transportation, parks, economic development, the natural and social environment, and infrastructure.

An Official Community Plan also considers issues expected to arise over a twenty-year time period. In order to ensure ongoing relevance, an OCP is typically reviewed and refined every five years to ensure the plan continues to meet community needs.

Amending the Official Community Plan

An OCP amendment application is required when a proposed development does not conform to the land use designation of the City’s OCP. An amendment is the process of legally changing the land use designation on a property through an amending bylaw.

If your proposed project does not comply with the Official Community Plan, you will need to apply for an amendment.

Please complete an application form and return it to City Hall with the application submission package and application fee. A fee schedule is located at the top of the application form.

OCP amendment applications may also require a Zoning Bylaw Amendment and/or a Development Variance Permit for the proposed project to advance.

Application Process

OCP amendment applications are first reviewed by City Planning staff, other applicable civic departments and may also be referred to external agencies for review.

Each application is then considered by Council at a minimum of two Regular Council meetings. The public are informed of each amendment application through the public notification process, and given opportunity to provide input at a scheduled Public Hearing. For information on how to participate in a public hearing, visit www.fernie.ca/meetings.

Prior to the public hearing, a ten-day public notice period takes place, which includes notice distribution to the owners and tenants of neighboring properties and advertising online and in the local newspaper.

After the Public Hearing, Council reads the amending Bylaw a third time, and will approve or deny the amendment application.

Complete applications may take a minimum of 7-9 weeks to process. The timeline to receive an outcome on each application is determined by the schedule of regular council meetings, council meeting agenda availability, and the public notification process.