The University Endowment Lands (UEL) has launched the Official Community Plan (OCP) Update. The existing OCP was adopted in 2005, and a lot has changed since then. The OCP Update is your chance to share your ideas and help shape our community’s future.
See OCP Update Poster for more information.
See OCP Update Newsletter for more information.
See OCP Update Discussion Guide for more information.
See OCP Update Poster #2 for more information.
See OCP Update Newsletter #2 for more information.See OCP Update Discussion Guide #2 for more information.
What is an OCP?
An OCP describes the long-term vision of a community. An OCP includes goals, objectives and policies that guide planning and land use management and addresses matters like housing, transportation, infrastructure and climate change. An OCP must include existing and proposed land use (i.e., residential, institutional, commercial etc.) and existing and proposed public facilities (i.e., parks, school, community centres etc.). An OCP must also show how major road, sewer and water systems will be phased and set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Why are we updating the OCP now?
The Province recently introduced several housing initiatives to increase the supply of housing. Bills 44 and 47 will guide future growth and development in the UEL. Bill 44 allows for 4-6 units on single-family lots depending on their size and location while Bill 47 directs higher density and mixed-use development within walking distance of frequent transit services like bus exchanges. More information on the new Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing and Transit Oriented Area legislation may be found here.
The Province requires the UEL to update its OCP by December 31, 2025 to comply with the new housing legislation. This mandatory planning work takes time to complete. The UEL is launching the OCP Review now to ensure there are multiple opportunities for community education and engagement.
This OCP update focuses mainly on changes required per the Housing Statutes to meet the December 2025 provincial deadline. Community input helps guide current and future policy direction. The new legislation requires an OCP to be updated every 5 years, so following this statutory update, there will be more opportunity for community engagement on a wide variety of topics to continue shaping the future of the UEL.
Questions & Answers
For a list of some common questions and answers, please click here.Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the first and second rounds of community engagement, your input is an important and valued part of this process. Summaries of both rounds of engagement, describing what we did and what we heard from you, are available here:
OCP Update Engagement Dates:
- Jan. 20, 2025 – CAC Meeting
- Feb. 04, 2025 – Community Webinar
- Feb. 25, 2025 – Community Survey
- Mar. 04, 2025 – Community Workshop
- Apr. 22, 2025 – Community Survey #2
- April 22, 2025 to May 2, 2025
- Apr. 24, 2025 – Community Workshop #2
- 4:00 pm - 8:00pm
lelǝḿ Community Centre
(5490 Shortcut Road) - Apr. 29, 2025 – Community Advisory Council Meeting
- 6:00 pm - 8:00pm
lelǝḿ Community Centre
(5490 Shortcut Road) - Jul. 21, 2025 – Community Advisory Council Meeting
The draft 2025 OCP Update is now available to view, please click here
If you wish to submit any comments on the draft, please email PlanUEL@gov.bc.ca before 4:00 pm on October 20, 2025.
All comments will be considered in revisions to the final draft, and will also be provided to the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, the approving authority for the UEL OCP.
Changes of note were outlined in the CAC presentation on July 21, 2025. The presentation slides are available here.
Key points include:
- Much of the previous OCP policy and text has been retained, but has been reorganized for improved readability.
- Updated housing section to align with SSMUH and TOA legislation and reflect UEL housing needs.
- New reconciliation section and policies.
- New climate resilience section, introducing GHG emission reduction targets and related policies.
- Updated green space section, with new tree management policies.
- Updated transportation policies, with a focus on active transportation: walking, cycling, rolling, and public transit.
- Updated maps, including a new context map to show the Metro Vancouver Urban Containment Boundary and Metro Vancouver Regional Land Use Designations.
- No changes to the Area D Neighbourhood Plan, except for one small change: The adaptable unit requirement changed from 25% to 20% to align with recent BC Building Code changes.
- Updated Metro Vancouver Regional Context Statement, showing alignment with Metro 2050: Regional Growth Strategy.
Get in touch
Keep an eye on the UEL OCP Update webpage for regular updates.
Have questions? Get in touch with the UEL Administration PlanUEL@gov.bc.ca.